The Importance of Learning Decision-Making

FROM BIG DECISIONS TO SMALL DECISIONS; IN A WORLD SHAPED BY THE HUMAN TENDENCY OF INSTANT GRATIFICATION, IT’S BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO MAKE DECISIONS. HEALTH MEETS WITH WARREN NEL, BUSINESS COACH AND MENTOR WHO REVEALS HOW WE CAN LEARN THE SKILL OF DECISION-MAKING AND WHY IT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

HOW IT WORKS Decision-making is hard, explains Nel. “It requires us to let go of something - some kind of certainty - and step into the unknown; and we humans don’t like that,” he says, and in a world shaped by the human tendency of instant gratification, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make decisions.

WHY IT MATTERS According to Nel, our lives are made up of choices - and the quality of these choices determine the quality of our lives. But what if you don’t know, in any given scenario, what the best decision is? It’s when faced with this dilemma that we tend to freeze and get stuck in analysis paralysis - and sometimes it’s tempting to feel that not making a decision, is the best option, he says. “The key to success is moving forward (even if it’s in the wrong direction), gaining momentum, failing, making adjustments along the way, and ultimately growing and becoming better.” Sometimes making a wrong decision is better than not making any decision at all. That can be tough and takes leadership. Leaders make a decision and then navigate it towards the best possible outcome.

DECISION MAKING IS A SKILL Decision-making is a skill, points out Nel, and developing it is much the same as developing your muscles in a gym. “The gym for decision-making is life - it’s a skill that can (and should) be developed by everyone,” he explains, a skill especially crucial for children to learn from as early on as possible. The bottom line is if you don’t use it, you lose it. “It’s the same with decision-making; if you fall into the trap of indecision and analysis paralyses, it becomes a habit, and eventually you become that person that always freezes when faced with difficult decisions,” he says, and someone like that can never lead their lives, let alone, anyone else.

TIPS TO HELP WITH DECISION-MAKING Take responsibility: embrace the fact that you must make decisions and that not making a decision is making one. And that sometimes making a decision in the wrong direction is better than not making a decision at all.

Learn to pay the price: embrace the reality of trade-offs as a necessary part of life - know that you’re always sacrificing one thing in favor of another. The act of making decisions allows you the opportunity to grow in wisdom - to ultimately make better and better decisions.

Establish strong values and a vision for your life - these act as a lens and become the filter through which we make decisions. The stronger your values and deeper your vision, the better your decision making capability

THE NEXT TIME YOU’RE FACED WITH A TOUGH CHOICE, DO A COSTBENEFIT ANALYSIS: 1. Define your core values and priorities. 2. List the costs and benefits of each of the available choices. 3. Consider each option in terms of your core values and priorities. 4. Make your choice, develop a simple strategy for execution (if necessary), and take

ACTION (nothing changes until you do). 5. Evaluate your decision - it’s said that “experience is the best teacher”. Wrong - evaluated experience is. Few things help you grow and improve your decision-making ability than taking action and assessing your experience.

Laying out the options and filtering them through the lens of your values, priorities, and the costs and benefits will help you gain clarity, increase personal ownership, and improve your confidence. H