Decision making is not all that difficult. You simply decide. True, it can be complicated due to some extraneous factors; but the actual decision itself is fairly easy.
The challenge is not so much in making the decision as it is managing, or acting, on it. John Maxwell has said, “It is easier to make a decision than to manage it. It is in the managing that the decision is implemented.”
It is a bit like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry has rented a car. He gets to the car rental counter only to find his reservation was not kept. He said to the counter agent, “You know how to take a reservation. You just don’t know how to hold the reservation.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2GmGSNvaM)
This is often the reality of our decision making. We know how to make the decision, we just don’t always know how, or fail, to implement the decision. We have to be managers of the decisions we make. Maxwell also said, “You make a decision once and you manage it daily.” It is the first part, decision-making, that lacks the second part, managing the decision, that is the stuff New Year’s Resolutions are made of.
You decide to…fill in the blank. The decision is made. The made decision does nothing until action is taken. Simply making a decision is like starting a car without moving from ‘Park’ into ‘Drive.’ Rev the engine all you’d like. You are going nowhere.
How do you manage your decisions? Six recommended actions.
Make a plan
Move ahead with the plan
Monitor your progress
Make adjustments as necessary
Measure your effectiveness
Manage it daily
Decision making is simple, but it doesn’t make it easy. What will you decide to do? How will you manage the decision?