Process Matters
The most interesting decisions are the ones for which the results don’t show up until much later. It’s not like choosing something to watch on Netflix. That’s easy because the feedback loop is really tight. You’ll know in a few minutes if watching Lincoln Lawyer, Season 3 was a “good decision.” Changing jobs, moving across […]
Talking Helps
Three helpful ideas for involving other people in your decision-making process. Be hard on the problem, not the people. Politics and participation make for bad bedfellows. If you’ve involved others, treat them well, no matter how much you disagree. Put your energy into figuring out the real problem, sorting out choices, determining what’s important, and grappling […]
Beware of Solutions Masquerading as Problems
When the problem and the solution are the same, you don’t have a real decision. There’s a difference between “Should we go to Spain this year?” and “What should we do for a vacation?” The first is a set-up to go to Spain. The second invites consideration of many alternatives. “Should I divorce the bastard?” […]
Experiments Are Failures We Learn From
Experiments are “failures” we learn from. “Failure” is another word for “not what I expected.” Expectations help keep us going. Dopamine levels increase when we expect a positive outcome or reward from an activity. The chemical hit makes us feel energized and focused. But here’s the thing: It’s not the actual achievement of the reward […]
Vote, Voice, Visibility
Every decision needs a Decision Owner. Especially decisions involving multiple stakeholders. The Decision Owner is responsible for deciding and communicating how he or she wants these people involved in the decision process. Here are four possible roles. Vote: These people are involved because their consensus, opinion, and support are required. These people can expect to […]
The Value of Others
Some decisions just involve you. In those cases, you can usually improve the quality of your decision by seeking out different points of view. To challenge your thinking. To provide the information you need. Other decisions involve many people. You can improve the quality of those decisions by making sure of the following: Everyone involved […]
“Facts” vs Uncertainty
We naturally gravitate toward information that is easy to collect, inside our comfort zone or that confirms our biases and preferences. This consumes time and attention but does little to advance the quality of the decision. The most interesting decisions have uncertainties and risks that no amount of fact-gathering will resolve. Uncertainty simply means the […]
It’s Not Over Until It’s Over, And Even Then . . .
It’s a jittery time of year. I’m not talking about elections. I’m talking about baseball. In 2023, Major League Baseball teams played 2,471 games. At the end of each, some people went home happy, some disappointed, and presumably some just went for the peanuts and hot dogs and didn’t care. The intensity of those feelings […]
The Map is not the Terrain
A geodetic map shows terrain lines. It’s helpful if you plan to hike, bike, or ride across the land. An Atlas (the old kind printed on paper) sections the landscape into “states” or “countries” and highlights “cities” and parks and mountains and maybe roads. A road map sections the landscape in standard increments and highlights […]
We All Want Control
“Control” and “connection” are paired but opposed ideas. A sales conversation that feels like a battle for control versus one that feels like a connection will yield very different outcomes. This motivation for control is deeply rooted in a desire for predictability, certainty, autonomy, independence, influence, and power. Most of us fear chaos, many fear […]