Just make a decision
Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash
Each day we make hundreds of decisions. Some are conscious like what you are going to wear today. Some are unconscious like what kind of coffee you ordered this morning. These decisions vary in weight, from deciding to stop to have a chat in the morning. Or deciding which initiatives to invest your teams' hours into based on the risk and reward.
Each of us deals with these decisions differently. We might find a decision to buy the perfect keep cup takes us 8 weeks of web browsing. Each cup found is just not right. Too wide, too small, too bland or too expensive. The similar decision process of reviewing all options, considering every consequence and factoring in people's opinions might also flow into your job.
“If you seek and accept only the best, you are a maximiser.”
Otherwise, you might be the type that is easy going and you choose the first keep cup you see because it looks good. You make decisions with a gut feeling without feeling too anxious about the details. You don't feel the need to discuss it with others. Or feel that it needs to be the best decision ever.
Do one of these sounds like you? Or do they both sound a little like you? The choice paradox by Barry Schwartz (link) discusses two types of decision makers. The Maximisers and the Satisficer. He explains the impact on being too far on either end of the scale and the impact it has on your day to day. In this article, I wanted to help you determine which side you are biased on and what the effects are for leaning towards either one.
One. The maximiser. When a maximiser receives a choice, they will exhaust all the options. They will seek all possible information related to the decision. Their focus is to make the best possible choice. They want to ensure there is minimal downside which comes with a constant feeling of doubt.
In a work setting, this might take place with multiple meetings. A large number of people in each session. Followed by lengthy emails covering all options and details. An abundance of opinions and checklist items trying to make a 'perfect' decision leads to slow decision making or no decision. The time and effort to determine the decision in most cases is disproportionate to the impact of the decision.
Two. Impacts of a Maximiser. The benefits of going through all the options are there is less risk that you will miss something significant. On a critical decision, getting the right people in a room and going through the benefits and drawbacks of the options is a good thing. Thinking ahead gives you mental capacity for thinking through the variables and the mitigation plans.
The shadow of this are situations like when a decision has a hard deadline that is fast approaching. Being a Maximiser will cause significant stress. As there isn't enough time to run through all the options. A Maximiser will wait till they have a complete new plan to ensure they can explain the issue and solution straight after it.
Whilst this is taking place the stress will also be present in your team who are also waiting on the unknown decision. Having a stressed team can impact their productivity and engagement. If this is you it is good to remember that in most cases people prefer smaller pieces of information early. Even if it is incomplete they understand that it takes time and might want to provide you with some input to help you with the decision.
Three. The Satisficer. When a Satisficer receives a choice, they are much quicker to make a decision. They don't feel they need to see every option. If they were going down a list of options and saw one that popped out and they thought it would be the right decision. They would make the decision to take that option and move on. They are generally happier with their choice and feel less doubt.
In a work setting, this might take place with a meeting wrapping up early with a small group of people. In the surplus 10-minutes, they open up a quick discussion and present 1-2 options and how they have already made a decision on one. From that point, they move into action.
“The fact that some choice is good doesn’t necessarily mean that more choice is better.”
Four. Impacts of a Satisficer. The more options you have, the harder it gets to decide and to decide well. So, the benefits of a Satisficer are they use fewer brain cycles to make a decision. They have a clearer mind without all the second-guessing. The time saving of making quicker choices allows for a faster recovery in areas that aren't going so well.
Making faster decisions and not being as worried about failure will allow you to progress quickly. It will also enable you to react faster. The shadow to all this is you might be in a constant 'react' position. Without some degree of planning, you are making a series of quick decisions that might not add together to the intended outcome.
You will also be moving so quickly that you do not bring the right people on the journey with you. This means you might be overlooking a quick win or creating disengagement within your team or across teams. In isolation this is a small problem. Over time this will create more hurdles for you when trying to move initiatives forward.
Five. The balancing act. There is no absolute right way to make a decision. But there is a wrong way if you lean to one side on most of your decisions. Either of the extremes will give you a higher probability of heading in the wrong direction. Or running out of days in the year to progress any initiative forward.
Understanding how you consider your options. As well as understanding the differences between a Maximiser and Satisficer. Will give you enough information to push your thinking into the opposite end in the right situation. Your increased flexibility in your thinking will provide you with an upgrade in your career. You will recognise the decision and the relevant approach that is warranted. Having the discipline to pause your natural tendencies and follow through with the more relevant process is important. This will ensure you have the balance of getting peoples
The next time you are deciding where to go for lunch or need to make a large organisation decision. Take note about how you go about it. As well as observe others how they make a decision.
Becoming more comfortable with pausing your natural position and choosing the best fit process starts with the small everyday decisions. So, when facing the more significant decisions like when to change roles or which initiative gets priority you find them less stressful.
Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.