Skills are taught; abilities are mastered. Yes, you need to work hard to master the abilities. Decision making ability can only be learnt with experience. It takes a great amount of time before you are able to take better decisions. Learn from your mistakes. This is the best way to master the ability of decision making. Here are some other ways in which you can hone your decision making skills.
Simulate real-life situations and problems.
Either you have a resource crunch or lack access to the work that you like to learn. You can try to simulate real life situations and come up with your own solutions for the problems. The internet acts as a great database for most kinds of jobs where you can at least have a look at the case studies that relate to your field of operation. You can use these to gain a working experience. Virtual interviews are an example of such facilities available on the internet.
Understand and analyze the problem.
Good decision makers spend more time to understand the problem. As we all know, a problem understood is a problem half solved. Each person is unique with regard to perceptions and approaches to finding solutions to problems. Find your own way of understanding and analyzing the problem. Let not your perceptions make you misinterpret the problem and steer you in the wrong direction. Analyze in consultation with peers or experts to gain a better understanding of the problem at hand.
Break the problem into smaller problems.
However tough and testing a problem is, you can always solve it by breaking it into smaller chunks of problems. Find ways to break into smaller but interrelated problems and establish a link between the consequences that you would like to attach to each small problem. Once you break it, you can assess your strengths and weaknesses as you begin trying to make a decision. Understand where you lack and try to develop in that particular direction.
Identify the various alternatives available.
We are all in the habit of framing alternatives of which the consequences are favorable to us. We tend to limit our perceptions and analysis to things that benefit. Learn to look at both sides of the coin. Expect the unexpected and try to come up with alternatives that might even have unfavorable consequences. Identification becomes easier as you have a clear picture of what is good and bad for you in the near and long term.
Perform a feasibility study of each alternative.
Not all alternatives are feasible to you under all situations. As you try to expect the unexpected, there are many feasible alternatives that become impossible within a fortnight. Keep in mind the opportunities and threats of your environment as you try to conduct feasibility study of each alternative. Spending too much time to assess the alternatives might also be risky. Use your own judgment to avoid delay in taking a decision.
Seek the advice of managers or experts in the field.
Managers and experts are always available to help you. Make the most advantage of their experience. The advent of forums and mailing lists on the internet has helped many amateurs to get in touch with veterans and learn the nuances of any topic and carry off their work with ease. Develop better relations with your manager by seeking his help wherever necessary. The manager appreciates the fact that you always like to learn more and that you respect his knowledge.
Brainstorm with peers and subordinates.
The other way is to brainstorm with your peers or subordinates. It is a win-win affair as you increase their knowledge and you can come up with an immediate solution to your problem. Always prefer a safe decision when you take it with your peers or subordinates.
Document your progress in understanding the various problems.
As you follow different approaches to solve problem and make your decisions, you learn more. Document your progress during the initial days and your mind automatically registers the information within a few days. This helps as a reference when you encounter similar problems. You need not follow the entire process again.
Experiment by applying your creativity.
Let your creative juices flow throughout the year and you will soon be amazed at your decision making abilities. Creativity is innate and it surely helps you to come up with creative solutions to your problems. This is how experienced managers develop what they call as gut instinct. You can soon rely on your own gut instinct and it consumes far little amount of time to arrive at a decision.
Let people respect your ability to take decisions in a jiffy. Whatever you call it – traditional decision making or gut instinct – the process can be learnt with enough dose of dedication and commitment. Learn to tricks of the trade and move up the corporate ladder with your effective decision making abilities.
