MAKING GREAT DECISIONS

By Kevin Hogan

Our life experience is largely a combination of our state of mind, communication, relationships, actions and our decisions. If someone is to achieve success in some area of life, certainly making well-considered decisions is critical.

Learning how you make decisions and how others make their decisions will not only allow you to become a more influential person, it will help you grow yourself…with fewer regrets and more wins!

Is it time for a career change?
Which job should you take?
Should you marry this one?
Should you divorce this one?
Should you buy this car?
Should you buy that home?

Before you make that big decision, you may want to read this article which will shed light on not only our decision making blind spots and errors…but also how to actually make great decisions.

Reams of research shows that in general:

• People assume that when they decide on something and it turns out good, that they made a good decision when it easily could have been attributed to chance (luck).

• People tend to overemphasize the importance of pain by about 2.5:1 in decision making. (People may not need to feel great, but they don’t want to hurt at all.)

• People rationalize their emotional decisions instead of make rational decisions.

• People make their decisions emotionally when the answer to a question or proposition isn’t obvious.

• People make their decisions impulsively then stand by their impulse as if the decision was made rationally.

• People make their decisions based upon their experience and not the experience of the masses.

• People make decisions based upon the socio/environmental frames they put the decisions into. (a woman going to Planned Parenthood for counseling will get different advice than the woman going to her conservative pastor.)

• People tend to make decisions on their own instead of seeking the counsel of numerous others who can give additional perspectives.

• People are unaware of the enormous power of the actual words that are used to ask the question make an enormous difference in the actual decision that is made...

• People are unaware as to how the influence specific questions changes their minds unconsciously. (Are you sick of driving that old junker? Vs. Are you thinking of buying a new car?)

• People tend to avoid what they perceive as risky.

• People tend to lack the skills to calculate the chances that events will or won’t happen.

• People tend to decide on “the sure thing” even when it doesn’t make real sense to do so. They will take a sure $100 instead of a 50/50 chance at a $125 for example.)

• People tend to make decisions without a solid understanding of “the real life likelihood of events.” (read that as mathematics, statistics and probability…sorry)

We tend to remember our good decisions and think we’re actually good at decision making.

But wait! It gets worse!

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Kevin Hogan
Network 3000 Publishing
16526 W. 78th St. #138
Eden Prairie, MN 55346
(612) 616-0732
Photo appears under license with istockphoto/YuriArcurs.