November 19, 2016

Fear and Decisions


Have you been talking with someone who is angry and not making sense? Their decision process is all emotion, and they are full of emotion. They could be angry with your company, angry at someone else, or angry with you.

How about when someone does not want to make a decision. They talk about the issue. They ask advice. They express opinions. But they definitely don’t want to commit. Not now.

What drives this behavior is simple. They are afraid. Afraid of making the wrong decision, afraid of failing, afraid of paying too much, afraid of losing, afraid of change, afraid of success, or afraid of anything.

We are just like these people under pressure. I fear making the wrong decision. I don’t want to lose. We are flawed. Our knowledge has gaps and bad information.

Take a deep breathe. Ask for more time (few things need the answer now). Set an appropriate deadline.

How important is your decision? If you are at a restaurant, most things on the menu will taste good. Likely it is not life or death, and if it is you have to rely on your training.

Second, be human. None of us is perfect. Start taking some action. Revise the question. Define the problem better. What are your constraints? Can we bypass one? Are there more options? There is always another way.

Most good decisions come from choosing with what you know. Not waiting for more information.

“Patience is not an absence of action; rather it is timing. It waits on the right time to act." -- Fulton J. Sheen

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