Learning to make decisions. It sounds so simple. And yet it is so difficult. Management Guru Peter Drucker once said: „If you see a successful company anywhere, it's because someone made a courageous decision at some point.“ How right he was with this statement. And we can hear something else between the lines. Every successful entrepreneur is always a good decision-maker.
Or, conversely, if you are not achieving the desired results in your life, then it is reasonable to assume that you need to work on your decision-making skills. Wondering why? Quite simply because the ability to make decisions is the most important quality of a successful entrepreneur, manager and basically every single person.
Making the right decisions
So making decisions is much more difficult in reality than in theory. After all, how many people do you know who are world champions at announcing, planning and making Changes but then regularly fail to implement them? How often have you yourself had a great idea, wanted to make the right decisions but were unable to put them into practice? It may surprise you now, but most people don't have an implementation problem, they have a decision-making problem. It's the result of wishy-washy values and the associated lack of clear priorities.
The consequences are fatal: over time, you get used to the idea that other people will make the decisions for you. The boss, your colleagues, your partner, your neighbors, the waiter, the sales clerk or the ever-popular and never really definable entity called “those up there”.
Making decisions Psychology: The mirror of your own priorities
Almost everyone is trusted to be able to make decisions for themselves. Only you avoid them like the devil avoids holy water. You can recognize these indecisive people very well by their language, because they use their favourite words „actually“, “possibly”, ”maybe„ and “perhaps" remarkably often. After all, if you are merely thinking about whether you could possibly decide at a certain point in time whether you actually want to change, then you don't have to commit yourself at all! And most people like that.
But why is that even the case? Why does nobody want to commit themselves anymore? Why do many people find it so difficult to make a decision? On the one hand, your own values naturally play a central role. If I don't know what my priorities in life are, then I can't act accordingly. If I'm insecure inside, then it's not possible to make clear decisions on the outside. But in the vast majority of cases, it's not that someone can't make a decision. Rather, it's because they want to.
Making decisions means making a commitment
Because there is a central feature of every decision: Whenever you decide for something, you are also deciding against something. With all the consequences, sacrifices and conflicts. But also with the corresponding results. With every single decision, you weigh up inwardly where your priorities lie. It is always a question of what is more important to you. It's always an „either or“. Would you like a few examples?
- You can either have the freedom of your own company or the (supposed) security of a permanent position.
- You can either make that all-important customer call or call for the tenth time a day on LinkedIn check the status messages.
- You can either train for your dream body early in the morning or spend an extra hour in a warm, cozy bed.
- You can either plan your next career move or spend the evening with your buddies in the pub.
- You can either work overtime for the important project or enjoy the beneficial effects of ten hours' sleep.
- You can do everything you can to get that long-awaited job as head of department, or you can insist on finishing work on time.
- You can enjoy a romantic vacation with your partner or travel to the Ballermann with your friends.
- You can spend time with your children or sit in the office until ten in the evening.
- You can work on turning your dreams into reality or enjoy the nightlife of your city.
- You can either learn to make decisions or you will experience a permanent state of dissatisfaction.
Making decisions is not that easy - but you can learn to do it
When making decisions, the key question is always: „What is more important to you?“ If you can answer this for yourself, then you won't find it difficult to commit yourself. The more you can fall back on powerful values and the more you can create a sustainable Motivation the more willing you will be to do everything you can to achieve your goals. And because this always means work, discipline and commitment, very few people are prepared to accept these consequences.
But why is that? We now live in a society that is characterized by arbitrariness. It is with great concern that I observe the trend among the masses to dance at as many weddings as possible and not want to make any decisions. And so you do a bit of everything, but you don't do anything right. You muddle through your life, have no major low points, but no highlights either. The classic definition of mediocrity. And if you do get up the courage to make a decision, it's usually not a decision at all, because most people are extremely casual about this term. On closer inspection, however, many a decision turns out to be more of a pious wish that is wistfully directed towards heaven.
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Real decisions are not pious wishes
Please don't let this fool you, because a real decision is something completely different. It means making a commitment, dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to the consequences of this action and not letting setbacks deter you from your path. Making a real decision means making a commitment. To decide in favor of something. And at the same time deciding against the alternative. It means making a conscious choice. And many people shy away from making this clear and consistent choice, preferring instead to be guided by external circumstances. Or worse still, by the decisions of other people.
And by that I don't just mean the really landmark decisions in life. No, it usually starts with the little things in everyday life. When shopping, eating, on the subway or at the family table. But if you allow yourself to be guided by the general arbitrariness of even the most mundane things, you will fail all the more when it comes to the big decisions in life. Because the bottom line is that every single change always begins with a clear and irrevocable choice. The decision to make the change, to set off and enjoy the ride on the rollercoaster ride called life with all its ups and downs.
Decisions in life - As in small things, so in big things
So hand on heart, dear readers, how good or bad are your decision-making skills? If you're not quite sure, you can simply check. Think for a moment about your last visits to restaurants. What is your typical behavior? Is it easy for you to decide on a dish of your choice, or do you tend to beat about the bush, study the menu from front to back, only to order the same thing as your dining partner or the food recommended to you by the waiter?
How often have you answered choice questions such as „Would you like coffee or tea?“, „Shall we go to the movies or the theater?“ or „Shall we go out for Italian or Thai food?“ with a terse: „I don't care“, „You can choose“ or „I like both“?
Learn to make decisions: with these 7 ingenious tips
If you catch yourself being evasive every now and then, then you need to be careful. Because if you already have difficulties with small decisions, then it will be no different with the important things. And every successful change begins with an irrevocable decision. You can't avoid it.
But there is also good news, because it is not that difficult to train your own decision-making skills. The basis for this are powerful values that I in this article have written in great detail. These are always the basis on which everything else is based. In addition, I would like to provide you with a small guide that can be a good orientation for future decisions.
Tip #1: Decide to make a decision in any case
Sounds banal, but it's the most important step of all. From now on, there will be no more rushing around, decisions will be made. Always. For the small everyday decisions and also for the important challenges. The quicker you make your new decisiveness a habit, the better.
Tip #2: Analyze the initial situation and weigh up your options
Make an open and honest analysis of the current situation. Don't gloss over anything, but don't make it worse than it is. The better you know your starting position, the easier it will be for you to find the possible options. And by the way, have you ever noticed that you always have at least three options in every situation? Feel free to put it to the test.
Tip #3: Accept the fact that you will never know exactly which decision is right or wrong
This realization can save you a lot of brooding. Accept that you will never know in advance which decision will be the right one. Unfortunately, we only ever realize this afterwards. But perhaps that's a good thing, because after all, we grow from our experiences.
Tip #4: Combine your knowledge with your intuition and make a decision
This is where the unbeatable duo of „heart and mind“ comes into play. Use both your reasoning and your gut feeling. In recent years, I myself have made almost all important decisions based on my gut feeling, but I have also used my intellect. And I have done so well with this strategy because intuition can always work particularly well when it is based on a well-founded factual analysis.
Tip #5: Take full responsibility for the consequences of the decision
This is a particularly important step, especially if other people are affected by the decision. Nothing builds trust like reliability and clarity. Therefore, regardless of the results of your decision, take responsibility. For the good things, but also for those that didn't go so well.
Step #6: Stand by your decision, even if you encounter headwinds
If you take responsibility, you will be shown a lot of respect and sometimes admiration. Conversely, nothing is as despicable as constantly changing your mind. And yet many people prefer to take the easy way out and hang their flag in the wind, bending and twisting wherever they can. This is how they develop a rubber spine over time. Make one thing clear to yourself: you will never be able to please everyone anyway, and very often the right decisions are unfortunately also the unpopular ones.
Tip #7: Have the courage to revise a decision once in a while
Nevertheless, it is important to always be flexible with the results. And it can also happen that you make the wrong decision. Then it is important to react in good time and make a new decision. This not only shows that you are open and honest with yourself, but also demonstrates greatness to the outside world.
Learning to make decisions - A conclusion
I would like you to give these seven tips for making good decisions a chance and incorporate them into your everyday life as a habit. Practice making decisions as often as possible. Avoid the popular „wishy-washy behavior“ and commit yourself. On a small and large scale. Because every single change always starts with an irrevocable decision. And a correct one at that. With all the consequences. A decision that entails commitment, motivation and discipline. A decision that you are prepared to do everything necessary to put into practice.
And now I look forward to your comments and feedback on the topic of „Learning to make decisions“.
Yours sincerely, Ilja Grzeskowitz
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