7 Step Decision making process

Everyday we make decisions,consciously or not. For every choice, big or small, there’s no easy formula for making the right decision. The best you can do is to approach it from as many perspectives as possible and then choose a course of action that seems reasonable and balanced at that time. It surely differ from person to person and situation to situation. But there are some simple things you can do to make it less intimidating, such as:

1. Just Stay calm & carry on:  When you have any decision to make, the first step should generally be to stay as calm as possible. If you can’t stay calm, put off making the decision until you’re thinking clearly.

2.List all of your options. At first sight, it may appear that there is only one course of action, but that is usually not true. Even if your situation seems limited, try to make a list of alternatives. Don’t try to evaluate them until you’ve got a full list,brainstorm with some family or friends. Don’t jump to conclusions. Once you have generated your list, eliminate anything that is obviously impractical and limit your options as much as possible.

3.Trust your gut feeling:  Make your decision based on what feels right even if the list says opposite. 90% of world’s CEO’s  believe in this concept. Ask yourself what you want to do and how it will affect your future.

4.Use the “five whys” technique to understand the problem: Asking yourself “why?” five times can help you to uncover the source of a problem and determine if you are making a decision for the right reasons.

5.Analyse your pro’s and con’s more carefully:  If your problem is complex and you feel overwhelmed by the variety of possible outcomes, consider making a list to guide your decision making process.

6.Think about the future. At the end of the day, the best way to make a decision is to think about long term benefits rather to go with short term benefits.

7.Have a backup plan. Having a backup plan will allow you to respond to unforeseen challenges and give assurance that if something goes wrong in future you have the backup to overcome.

No matter which decision you make, be prepared to accept responsibility for every outcome. No one can be sure one hundred percent every time,that’s just life.A good thumb rule is to seize every opportunity that is good but think before leap.