Stand out at work with decisive decision-making
Smart decision-making is a significant skill required for success in the business arena.
Learn how to impress interviewers, hiring managers and bosses with your ability to make the smart choice, every time.
Improve your decision-making process
Intuition, intelligence and experience are the skills that create the foundation for good decision-making. With the below fine-tuning your decision-making can go from average to excellent:
- Identify the exact problem.
- Gather all the information you can relate to the problem and assess.
- Write out all the solutions and courses of action you can think of regarding the problem.
- List the pros and cons of each action.
- Think of short-term and long-term benefits.
- Implement the course of action that offers the most advantageous outcome for your company.
- Evaluate the results of your course of action. Is the problem resolved?
When time is at a premium, follow the same process in your mind. With experience and repetition, the process will become second-nature. You may find you begin to react quicker in situations that require conflict resolution or problem-solving.
Understanding the decision-making process
Being able to identify a problem, review the available information and take action that solves the initial issue is part of the decision-making process. The decision must be free of personal bias and made in the best interests of the company.
Now you have made your decision, can you communicate why you have made this choice? What was your process, you’re thinking that led you to this course of action?
Success should not go unnoticed. If your boss identifies your ability to make key, profitable decisions, they may ask you to present and teach your process to colleagues. Or, another company may offer you a lucrative contract to come and work for them, if your successes become widely known. Be ready.
Why are decision-making skills important at work?
The decision-making journey starts the moment you apply for a job. Your CV should be tailored to make you sound like the perfect candidate for that specific company and role. Stand-out to the hiring manager as your CV may be one out of hundreds if not thousands of applications. If you show that you can make your employer profit through your decision-making ability, they will see you as a valuable asset. An asset that has an eye for detail, recognizing that the smallest of decisions can make the difference between profit and loss.
A blend of technical and interpersonal skills will be required for any job role. If you can show the ability to make intelligent decisions that create continued success for your company, you will rise up the corporate ladder swiftly and stand out amongst your peers when promotion opportunities arise. Indecision at any level of the corporate ladder can mean loss of business, profit and even your job. The higher you go, the greater the loss or profit weighing on your decisions.
Improving your decision-making skills will not only enhance your career, it can also help you succeed in every aspect of your life. Relationships, sports, investments and consumer purchasing all require the ability to make a well-timed and sometimes well-researched decision. Bring yourself and the loved ones in your life the best outcomes by training yourself to be a decisive and confident decision-maker.
Be the one people turn to when an important decision must be made.