| Having a great decision-making process increases | | | | 4. Did you gather the right information? Was it timely? |
| your odds for success in many aspects of your work | | | | Did you use that information well for the |
| and life. | | | | decision-making process? |
| Because it's so important, make it a point to periodically | | | | 5. Did you evaluate the decision risks correctly? |
| stop, review and improve your decision-making | | | | 6. Did you assess and envision implementation |
| process. | | | | circumstances and challenges correctly? |
| Grow (and grow your appreciation for) your strengths, | | | | 7. Were there any significant issues you didn't consider |
| and eliminate or reduce your decision-making | | | | as you prepared to make that decision? These may |
| weaknesses. | | | | have been favorable or unfavorable issues, ultimately, |
| Start by making review and improvement of your | | | | but they were things you overlooked or didn't see |
| process an annual event, even if you dedicate only an | | | | initially. |
| hour to decision-making process improvement. | | | | 8. Are there other things you notice about the way |
| How can you begin? | | | | you prepared for, made, and implemented decisions |
| Start by reviewing significant decisions you made | | | | that can help you to improve your decision-making |
| during the past year. | | | | process in the future? |
| Divide these decisions into three categories: | | | | 9. If you have decision diaries that you kept as you |
| - The ones that worked really well | | | | worked through stressful or high-risk decisions, review |
| - The ones that worked out okay | | | | those to see what they can tell you about your |
| - The ones that didn't work...at all (and hopefully there | | | | decision-making preparation, thought process, the way |
| aren't many in this category) | | | | the decision was actually made, and the |
| Look at the patterns in each group to see what you | | | | implementation quality. |
| can learn and improve - and also what you need to | | | | 10. What pleased you most about your decision |
| stop and appreciate about the things you're doing very | | | | process and experience this year? |
| well. | | | | 11. What surprised you most? |
| Consider, specifically, your skills in: | | | | 12. What was the most difficult lesson? |
| - Framing the decision | | | | 13. What was the best lesson? |
| - Information gathering | | | | 14. If you were teaching someone else how to make |
| - Decision-making | | | | great decisions, what would you advise them, based |
| - Implementing decisions | | | | on your recent experience with decision-making? |
| Consider some of these things as you review these | | | | 15. Were there any serendipitous, unplanned but |
| recent decisions and how they worked for you: | | | | fortuitous experiences in your decision-making and |
| 1. Did you define the problems correctly? | | | | results this year? Are there any lessons you can learn |
| 2. Did you have the right decision customers in mind? | | | | from that to improve your decision-making process |
| 3. Were you clear about what these customers | | | | and results in the future? |
| needed? | | | | |