Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills

34 Summary of Decisions

Taking Action

Deciding is the last step before executing your conclusion; it's the go or no-go. If a decision of go is made, people get to work and execution begins. A decision is made by identifying the decision maker (who), ensuring there's a need to make a decision, determining when it will be made and, most important, identifying the criteria because if met, it's a go. Risk is a key criterion involved in all of this.

We can make decisions quickly, because we've done almost all the work during the steps of clarity and conclusions. If you find yourself having difficulty in getting a decision made, one of the preceding factors isn't clear, or you haven't reached a definitive conclusion yet. Decisions are not “Should I buy the blue one or the red one?” They are “I've concluded to buy the red one; should I now buy it or not?” If you're still trying to figure out what to do, then go back to conclusions.

You may have heard of someone second-guessing a decision; you probably have done it yourself. This happens when you rethink a decision after you've made it and occurs most often when the criteria for the decision weren't well thought out. After making the decision, the decision maker thinks about it a little more and uncovers another criterion that brings to question the go or no-go call. You can avoid this by vetting and talking about the criteria.

Getting Started

Consider the following questions and advice when you're looking for a decision:

• Am I certain ...