Make Good Decisions

DECISIVENESS IS a key quality of effective managers. No promotion or advancement is possible until a person develops the ability to solve problems and make good decisions.

On occasion, I tell the managers in my audiences that I have a remarkable memory. I have learned how to memorize the job title of every single person in the room. Because there may be several hundred people present, everyone looks at me with some skepticism while I go on to explain what I mean. “No matter what title or position is written on your business card,” I say, “your true job description is problem solver.”

From the time you start work in the morning until the time you go home at night, you are solving problems, big and small, one after the other, nonstop. If there weren't any problems for you to solve, your job could be replaced by a machine or by a junior employee.

Become Solution-Oriented

Average people think continually about the problems they are facing and who is to blame for those problems. Top people think continually about the solutions to the problems they have and what actions can be taken immediately to move ahead. The key is to grow your ability as a problem solver.

Whenever you experience frustration, resistance, or a setback of any kind, begin by asking, “What exactly is the problem?”

Define the problem in as many different ways as possible. You can even contemplate this question: “Is this really a problem? Could this situation be a benefit or an advantage? Could it be a blessing in disguise?” Sometimes, the problem you are dealing with is not the real problem at all.

Beware of a problem for which there is only one definition. The more ways that you can define a problem, the more amenable it becomes to a solution and to a decision that will really get results.

Once you have defined the problem, you then ask, “What are all the possible solutions?” Beware of a problem for which there is only one solution. The more solutions that you consider, the more likely it is that you will come up with the ideal solution that will bring about the best result.

Make a Decision

Finally, make a decision. Decide exactly what you are going to do to resolve the problem, overcome the obstacle, or achieve the goal.

Having made your decision, assign specific responsibility for that decision to someone on your staff or else to yourself. Set a deadline. A decision without a deadline is merely a conversation without a resolution.

In an earlier chapter, I talked about Daniel Kahneman's observations of the difference between fast thinking and slow thinking. Fully 80 percent of decisions at work can be taken care of with fast thinking. You probably have most of the facts and information you require. Decision making requires a choice between one course of action or another. You choose one course of action and get busy. Usually any action is better than no action at all.

Use Slow Thinking

Only 20 percent of decisions require slow thinking. In cases where the potential consequences of a wrong decision can be significant, you need to slow down, gather more information, and take your time.

The rule is that if it is not necessary to decide, it is necessary not to decide—at least for the time being. Recent research shows that the more time you put between the information-gathering stage and the decision stage, the better your decision will be overall. Always delay making an important decision, of any kind, for as long as you can. Your decision, in the end, will always be superior to one that is made without enough slow thinking.

Once you make a decision, assign responsibility, set a deadline, and follow up. You are on your way. This is your job. This is why you are on the payroll, to make decisions.

Cut Your Losses

One final point with regard to problem solving and decision making: In each case, you make the best decisions that you can with what you know at that moment. If you receive new information that changes the situation, be prepared to cut your losses and make a new decision.

There is a Turkish proverb that says, “No matter how long you have gone down the wrong road, turn back.”

When you practice these principles, you will become a better problem solver and decision maker. And as Henry Kissinger said, “The only reward that you get for solving problems is even bigger problems to solve.”

The most successful people, those who are paid the most and promoted the fastest to the highest positions in the organization, are those who have developed a proven ability to solve each problem that they meet at their level, using them as stepping-stones to even greater things. And you can do the same.