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chance of hasty judgment. Of missing what someone said. Of a strong personality taking over a
conversation. In addition, relevant information can be stored and retrieved in the future.

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive…
Harvard Business Review. (2013). The management tip: Tips on decision making. Harvard Business
Review.
John, C. (2013). How to establish open communication at work. Chron.

Shaughnessy, H. (2013, December 9). 15 Ways to make much better decisions. Forbes.

7. Need to speed things up? Counter overthinking with action. Lots of us want all the data in and all
our ducks in a row before we decide. We want to be 100% sure. Nice in theory, but that slows you
down. Perfectionism is tough to let go of because many people see it as a positive trait for
themselves. Recognize your perfectionism for what it might be—collecting more information to
improve your confidence to make a fault-free decision, thereby avoiding risk and criticism. Try to
reach a more reasonable balance between thinking it through and making the call. Try making some
small decisions on little or no data, using expertise or past experience as a guide. Anyone with 100%
of the data can make good decisions. The real test is who can act the soonest with a reasonable
amount—but not all—of the data. Give yourself a deadline and stick to it.

8. Not sure the timing is right? Listen to your own clock. How do you know if it’s important to decide
now or if it may be better to wait? When urgency is the new normal, it can be tempting to charge
ahead, even when evidence—or lack of evidence—suggests otherwise. Recent information may have
shifted the success criteria. New data may reveal additional risks. A deadline may not really be firm—
especially in ambiguous or rapidly changing industries, or when cutting-edge differentiation is key.
Some of the most respected leaders have put quality, safety, or innovation ahead of a predetermined
timetable. Pulling the plug or testing things further before making a decision may serve the best
interests of your stakeholders in the long run. Keep your strategic priorities top of mind and be willing
to adjust the timing.

9. Tempted to bend the rules? Do the right thing. Wise decision making requires you to be ethical—
to uphold standards of right and wrong. People rarely start their careers planning to be unethical.
More often it comes about slowly, little by little. Here are some justifications people give for making
unethical decisions: Everyone else is doing it. Nobody will find out. My boss told me to. The end
justifies the means. It’s not exactly illegal. We didn’t have time to check. It won’t hurt anybody. See
these rationales for what they really are: excuses. Read your organization’s ethical guidelines and
principles. Discuss them with your team. What would small and large ethical breaches look like?
What consequences might occur? What do you do if you find yourself in a gray zone? Ask difficult
questions. Don’t hedge the truth. Make it safe to disclose mistakes. Recognize when greed, ambition,
or needing to cover one’s hide creeps in. It’s everyone’s job to uphold high standards of professional
responsibility in decision making.

10. Want to best ensure a quality decision? Keep things in balance. When a quality decision is what
you’re after, you need to find the right balance among many factors. There’s the need for
divergence—so you consider differing views and options with an open mind. And the need for
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