It's certain that everyone at one point in life has been in a situation where they couldn't make the right choices. The consequence of that was a state of confusion.
Decision making is not supposed to be a difficult task. By knowing the right decision making process, decisions could be reached effectively and effortlessly every time there is a need for it.
Below are 7 the stages of decision making process:
1. Define the problem.
"If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions." - Albert Einstein.
Everytime a situation calls for a decision, take the time to identify the real problem.
Without identifying the real problem, it would be very hard to reach a decision on the real solutions.
The best way to identify the real problem is to carry out a research.
2. Carry out a research.
Carry out a research, ask questions, go back in time, search the present and make projections into the future to gather enough data and information that would reveal the problem.
Leave no stone unturned, it's a research. If you knew what the problem was and the right decision to make, you wouldn't be carrying out the research?
Albert Einstein said, 'If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
3. What are the alternatives?
The research should present you with alternative answers to your questions.
Consider each alternative course of action on its merits and prune them down until you're left with the best options.
Don't pick anyone yet.
4. Seek advice.
Seek the advice of those you wouldn't hesitate to trade places with.
You shouldn't be surprised to know that people are often willing to share their success stories with enthusiastic listeners
5. Which is best among the alternatives?
Armed with your best alternatives and the advice of your role models, analyze all options, this time, to pick the best alternative.
6. Develop your plan of action?
Develop a plan of action around the best alternative you picked in stage 5.
Then move on to stage 7.
7. Implement your plan, assess results as they come in and make adjustments where necessary.
Execute your plan of action and put it on your daily schedule as a priority.
Protect this priority and let nothing else steal time and effort from it.
Be ruthless in your implementation by removing from your schedule, all other conflicting priorities.
As results begin to come in, assess them.
There's no guarantee that your plan will succeed at the first attempt of implementation.
What should you do when it fails?
Ronald Reagan answered, ""The more the plans fail the more the planner’s plan.”
So when the first plan fails, find out why, adjust, make more plans and implement them.
