Selecting Decisions: A Decision Making Guide

The following serves as a thorough decision-making guide so that nothing may subsequently become overlooked, assuming you have adequate time to consider all the steps. And certainly these steps aren't chiseled in stone! They may be followed in any order, not necessarily sequentially, and even all simultaneously!

FIRST:  Already Prepared? or Consult? or Brainstorm?

At the outset, either you already know e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g about the situation in question or you do not. Either you have already adequately prepared yourself in advance or not. If you already are prepared, you already have total overview over the situation, and you already know what to expect and how to respond to e-v-e-r-y possibility. Nothing can surprise you. You are already familiar with all the common misperceptions and pitfalls, the common blunders and oversights. You're TOTALLY READY! See Competence in Decision Making: Overview.

If on the other hand you're absolutely ignorant about what to do so as to avoid any potential for subsequent error, then you'll need to find someone who isn't. You'll need to consult more competent authority. See Competence in Decision Making: A Decision Making Rule and Seeking Expert Advice.

But then if you haven't access to any competent authority, or if you lack the resources to adequately consult with one, you'll need to resort to intense brainstorming to root out any potential for misperception. You'll need to conduct your own research. You'll need to imagine possibilities. You'll need to thoroughly analyze all potential avenues and all their associated consequences. You'll need to get to work! Read on...

Step I ... If Possible, Write it Down, Type it In or Record it in Some Way

Remember!! To err is human! As powerful as our little human minds may be, we are still prone to making gross or blatantly outrageous mental miscalculations, oversights and blunders. So, you need to do what you can to avoid them.

By recording your problem and its myriad of possible solutions in some way, whether on paper, computer disk, voice recorder, ... , film(?!), etc. you are freeing your mental processing from having to actively remember everything. This way, you can focus on using your imagination and analytical abilities to the fullest while trying to solve the problem at hand.

Certainly, you may not find yourself with the time (e.g., think about a police officer, fire fighter, doctor, ...) or resources ("Where's my ink pen?!"), but seriously consider this initial point (as well as many of those following) if it at all remains a practical possibility.

Step II ... Brainstorm: Imagine All Possible Courses of Action

Find a quiet place to turn your brain on. Put your imagination into overdrive, and record each and every possible action that may be decided.

Don't arrogantly assume that you can do this alone either. Two brains are better than one, and the mental prowess of a small group of dedicated and competent people will surprise you!³

Decision trees (see Mind Tools: Decision Theory and Decision Trees — http://www.mindtools.com/dectree.html — for an excellent discussion)⁴ are particularly useful at this and the next two stages, but remember to concentrate on imagining possibilities rather than constructing a pretty "tree."

Step III ... Brainstorm: Imagine All Potential Consequences to Each Action

Same as Step II above, except that here you are imagining all the possible benefits, burdens and/or benign outcomes of each of those solutions. (See A Guide to Moral Decision Making — http://www.ethicsweb.ca/guide/ — by Chris MacDonald, Ph.D.)⁵

Remember also that there are consequences to consequences ... and consequences to consequences of consequences, and so on. You must carefully consider all of these if you are to avoid any potential problems later on.

As an example, don't overlook any physical or emotional burdens that your decision could possibly impose on others. Could a pertinent issue of "fairness" subsequently ensue from such a decision? As a consequence, if you remedy this possibility now, you may prevent perhaps later losing a valuable employee (or something worse!).

Pay particular attention to potential outcomes that may put "safety of life or limb" or "security of property or possessions" into jeopardy. Remember that accidents do happen, and the task of avoiding accidents itself involves some brainstorming in advance to imagine and prepare for them before they occur. Some of the possible solutions to your problem may lead to potentially dangerous situations that will have to be avoided if the solutions are to remain feasible. So, you will need to either eliminate these choices or figure out what course(s) of action would need to be taken if they are to remain feasible alternatives.

Step IV ... Consider the Pros and Cons to Each Alternative

Now take a look at all the possible consequences to each possible action and describe each as either a pro or con, advantage or disadvantage, plus or minus ... or maybe something in between.

You may even find it helpful to rate each advantage as perhaps more advantageous than another. This you could accomplish by placing a certain number of stars (or plus signs) by each advantage. The same could be done with the disadvantages, but by using perhaps minus signs instead.

Dollar signs could be used too, but remember to never weigh money against life or limb. Another individual's life or quality of life will always outweigh your personal monetary considerations.

Additionally, remember to consider the opportunity costs associated with each possible choice you may make. What opportunities later on would each choice either possibly deprive you of or provide you with if you were to choose it over the others?

This step will take some time as you sift through all the possibilities and carefully rate each of the possible consequences.

Step V ... Brainstorm: Get All Your Priorities in Order

Same as Steps II and III above, but now you must decide what matters most to you ... then, second to most; then third; fourth and so on. Brainstorm so that you don't miss any important relevant values.

Remember that by getting all your priorities ready today, you'll help to save yourself some time tomorrow should you have to decide quickly according to what matters most to you.

Remember also to incorporate these items into your priority list:

• Safety for all those who will be affected by your decision,
• Responsibility for the outcomes of those decisions that you made prior to this one but are affecting how you now decide,
• Security of property and possessions,
• Beneficial consequences that will help prepare you for later problems, such as better communication, stronger customer contacts, greater financial standing , improved security/safety, etc.

Step VI ... Decisions of Emotion and Influence

Decisions of emotion or influence are always particularly tricky. These decisions are tricky because they always involve a lack of needed information that cannot be found, learned or retrieved in some way before the deadline for making the decision arrives, and you, the decision-maker, are forced to rely on the opinions, life experiences or beliefs of someone else in consideration of some pertinent alternative course of action.

Most persons would claim that these decisions are really matters of trust: how much trust or faith do you place in the individual, group or organization/institution who is trying to cajole you into doing something that may be (though, not necessarily) in their personal favor? This claim is WRONG.

Why? Because of the consequences that your decision will force you into. If you decide to be influenced in one way or another, the outcome(s) of that decision are still YOUR responsibility, regardless of the degree of trust that you may have in that influential other. So, you still must consider all the possible consequences of your decision and whether you are ready to be held accountable for all of the subsequent outcome(s).

Remember that behind every opinion is an assumption, behind every life experience is a probability of occurrence, and behind every unyielding belief is a personal desire to believe. You are a professional: Don't gamble on the assumptions and/or desires of an influential other.

Never allow another to sway you into making a decision. Always stick to the facts, because, after all, YOUR decision is YOUR responsibility, and YOU will be held accountable for ALL subsequent consequences.

All opinions expressed in this web site, unless otherwise noted, are my own, Michael Gaspard. If you notice any errors or have any suggestions for improvement, please let me know by e-mailing webmaster@mdpme.com. Thank you!

This web page was last updated on Monday, February 2, 2004.
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