The Quality of your Life = The Quality of your Decisions

Everyday we make thousands of decisions, some small, like choosing what shirt to wear to work, and some bigger ones, like deciding to change jobs. So how do you ensure you are making the right decisions?

There are two things to consider-

• Knowing the difference between Wrong and Bad Decisions
• Asking yourself Quality Questions

The word ‘decide’ comes from the Latin word ‘decidere’ meaning ‘to cut off’. Decisions are not only about what we choose to do, but also what we are eliminating; jobs not taken, plans not attempted, goals not pursued.

Wrong –v- Bad Decisions

A wrong decision is choosing one option when another option would have been better. For example, you have done a number of interviews and have been offered two jobs. You take one, but realise a few weeks later, that it is not working out as well as you had hoped. It is a disappointing result but the method of deciding, the thorough research you did on the company, the clarity you sought at the interview, was a sound one.
A bad decision on the other hand would be moving into a new job even though a trusted friend spoke poorly of your new employer.
The distinction between wrong and bad decisions is important because it separates the outcome of a decision which you can’t control completely, from the decision making process, which you can.
Wrong decisions will happen, they are an inevitable part of life and business, but bad decisions are unforced errors.

Better Decisions require Better Questions

The quality of your decision making is determined by the quality of the questions you ask, both of yourself and of others. Think about it, what else is decision making but answers to questions.
Some of the best questions to ask are often labelled ‘dumb’ questions, because there can be one obvious answer. But at times, a straight-forward question can be the most powerful question, as it can lead to new insights. At the core of effective coaching is powerful questions so here are a few that are worth answering from time to time.

• Why do I do what I do?
• What am I pretending not to see?
• What is the reality of my situation?
• What do I really want?
• What decision have I been putting off making?
• This time next year, what do I want to have achieved?
• What am I no longer willing to tolerate?
• What have I not considered up to now?

Sometimes we don’t know how to answer the questions that we ask of ourselves. Progress starts by getting comfortable saying ‘I don’t know’ until you do know. But if you did know, what might you say or do?

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