Decision making - Introduction
Decision making is an important skill which anyone who wants
to be a leader or who wants to achieve anything great in life must have. It is
the mark of great leadership to be decisive and to make the right decisions at
the right time for the right reasons. The opposite is also true: an inability
to be decisive and to make the right decisions can be a huge liability and a
great cause of failure. So how do you become a decisive person with a knack for
making the right decisions?
Remember your past for the valuable lessons and experiences
you got from it, but do not become prisoner to it. If you made mistakes, learn
from them. Do not use those mistakes as reference points that will stop you
from ever trying again and from taking risks. The person that never makes
mistakes is a person who never risks anything and therefore never gains
anything.
The saying goes:
“nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Similarly, do not let your past successes make you
overconfident and self-satisfied in making decisions. Always ensure that you
have all your facts and plan as thoroughly as you can. Beware of changes in the
environment and circumstances in which you are living and operating. Remember
that ultimately the two important factors you should be thinking about in
making any decision concerning your goals and your dreams will be:
The future cost of the decision
This may be a monetary
cost or it may be a cost in the form of time, energy or emotional input as
examples. The opportunity cost of your decision is also an important
consideration. By following one course of action you are giving up on another
course of action.
This rejected course of action is what is termed the
“opportunity cost.” If you chose to marry Angelina, who is the girl of your dreams,
then Cinderella, who was your second choice, would be the opportunity cost.
The future benefit of the decision
What will be the
positive desired outcome of the decision? It may be a financial benefit or
other benefit. How will the decision help you to achieve your goals and your
dreams? People’s unconscious decisions often fall to what is familiar, since
familiarity is what is comfortable and safe. Conversely, what is not familiar
is experienced as uncomfortable and unsafe. Typically our education and early experiences are the basis of what is thought
as unconsciously familiar and safe. But
keep in mind that safety is much more a function of familiarity than it is
about being physically safe. Remember,
the unconscious is emotional and not logical.
A famous Saying by Hazrat Ali R.A.:
"Never forget two things in your life 1st don’t make any promise in happiness & 2nd don’t take any decision when you are angry."