How to Make a Tough Decision
Are you capable of making a smart, informed, and effective choice? To make tough decisions, it helps to have confidence. Confidence is a skill you can develop by paying close attention to your successes in life and how you accomplished them.
To develop your own evidence-based confidence, start keeping a list of your successes to look back on whenever those feelings of self-doubt creep up. Ask yourself the following questions:
When have I done something difficult . . . and survived?
When have I made wise choices?
When have I done something that has created value for the company I work for and how did I feel after that happened?
When was the last time I felt really good about my contribution to a project?
When you are in those moments of doubt, look at the facts and remind yourself of the great work you've done and how much value you have already added. Think about specific details and how you felt during those successes. Confidence is cumulative — it’s based on both positive and negative situations. Think about the failures that you’ve had or mistakes you’ve made. What have you learned from them? What have you done better since then?
Also, take some time to reflect on and analyze the process that you’ve used to make good decisions in the past. My process is that I take in the necessary data, but in the end I go with my gut. Not with my brain, not my heart, but my gut. That is my process; what’s yours? Once you have a process you can trust, decision-making will be less stressful.
Here are some other techniques to help you in making the decision:
Fill in the gaps by seeking advice from others who have relevant knowledge or experience.
Have a go-to team of people you can turn to for anything. These are people who know you and your values and can help keep you grounded.
Pull in the stakeholders, those directly affected by your decisions, because people invested in the outcome can offer valuable advice.
If you’re interested in having me speak at your organization about topics just like this one, please visit my All American Speakers Bureau page and contact Maddy McPeak at maddy@aaehq.com.