9 Pitfalls that lead to terrible decisions
9 Pitfalls that lead to terrible decisions
People make bad decisions especially when under enormous pressure, stress or when badly informed. To understand the root cause of poor decision making, we must look at key behaviors and nine factors emerge as the most common perpetrators of terrible decisions and poor decision-making. Below is the list of the 9 pitfalls that lead to terrible decisions:
- Laziness.
It revealed itself as a failure to check facts, to take initiative, to confirm assumptions, or to gather additional input. These people are perceived to be sloppy in their work and unwilling to dedicate themselves and take into account the ever-changing environment of their work.
2. Preempt the unexpected.
It’s discouraged to consistently consider the possibility of negative events in our lives, and so most people assume the worst will not happen. Unfortunately, the worst case scenario often happens . People have car accidents, die, and divorce. One must anticipate problems to have in place other plans should the worse happen.
3. Indecisiveness
Failure to make a decision or procrastinating causes opportunities to vanish. Missed opportunities are one of the pitfalls of indecisiveness. Oftentimes indecision is worse than the wrong decision. People, who fear deciding on something often believe that one mistake will ruin their careers and so avoid any risk at all. You only move forward when you take responsible risks.
4. Stuck in the past
Past assumptions and truths lead at times to wrong decisions. These past assumptions no longer are true and therefore ineffective to current situation. It’s very easy to get used to approaches that worked in the past but one must constantly look for better approaches that are best suited for the present situation.
5. Having no overall strategy
Bad decisions arise from the failure to connect the problem to the overall strategy. When there is a clear strategy better solutions are identified and therefore resulting in better finished work.
6. No Initiative
Relying on other people’s decisions or input often delays any progress. Therefore, effective decision makers find a way to act independently when necessary.
7. Isolation
Leaders and decision makers need to foster and establish positive relationships that enable them to draw on other people’s expertise when they need to. Having the right networking skills to access the right information is paramount. It’s always important to involve others in decision making sure they will get credit for some of the work but also blame should things not run smoothly.
8. Knowledgeable in their field
Leaders who lack knowledge or basic expertise unequivocally will have no way to tell if a decision is brilliant or terrible. Decision makers need to be experts at what they do and if at times they still find it hard to understand the implications of the decisions they face, they make sure they find talent they need to help them.
9. Explain their decisions simply and clearly
Communicating a decision, it’s intent and implications, is critical to the successful implementation of any decision. Other people need to understand what, where, when, how and why the decision has taken place to make it a successful decision.
It’s no wonder people make bad decisions. The path to a successful decision-making is keeping in mind the pitfalls, the only way, which will make any decision maker or leader a more effective decision maker.
