Yes, starting to blog again
Over time I have realised how decision making can be a more complex process than what I initially perceived it to be. The bigger the leadership role we undertake, the more our decisions might have far reaching implications on the organisation, and more importantly the people under our charge. Many times we also grapple with conversations about whether our past decisions were "good" or "bad". Too often we also judge our decisions with the use of hindsight: telling ourselves: if only I did this instead of that, without realising the multitude of possibilities that are present at any given time. Regretting our past decisions may not make sense because they assume that the "alternative" direction would be better, though the truth is we never know.
We can only make the best decisions with information we have at any given time, and at the same time, our decisions are also subjected to realities that we can never predict, but instead can only appraise the quality of the decision with hindsight. Although the outcomes are beyond our control at times, we can nevertheless be responsible for the process. When making decisions in this work of uncertainty, having too much information and calculations may not necessarily be better, as we may overthink the problem, and also dally on addressing issues that leaders need to face. Someone once told me: Don't try to make the right decision, but make the decision right.
Although there are many tools that can aid in the decision making process, personally I found that the simplest tool, that allows us to adopt multiple perspectives, is De Bono's 6 thinking hats system (1999). When faced with any decision, it's worth just having a think of multiple perspectives (or what De Bono might call the lateral thinking processes) that might influence our decision making.
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