Decisions, decisions . . . Why do we persist in judging them? Why do we have to make them right or wrong?
–Bobbi Kahler

When I was 19, I worked at a local doctor’s office. When I began the job, I loved it and the people that I worked with. After about seven months or so, I began to lose interest in the job: it was no longer challenging and I had advanced as much as I possibly could. I became increasingly unhappy. I was talking to my Dad one night about it and I said that I was disappointed in myself because obviously I had made the wrong decision in deciding to work there. After he rolled his eyes and shook his head (he was always a little frustrated by how hard I was on myself!), he said, “How do you know it was the wrong decision? You made the right decision for the first seven months: you loved your job, you learned a lot and you grew. Maybe you have simply grown past your prior decision. That doesn’t make it wrong, it just means it is time to make a new decision.”

As I get older, I appreciate this wisdom more and more. I grew up in an environment where it was okay to make a decision – even if it proved to be less than ideal. Making decisions became a safe activity for me. I learned that even if I did, in fact, make a wrong decision, I could almost always correct it (there truly are few decisions that are really fatal).

I realize how lucky I was to be exposed to this mind-set and environment. I have seen many clients who are almost paralyzed to make a decision and move forward. I have also seen many managers who complain that their teams won’t act decisively, but when someone on their team actually does make a decision, this same manager rushes in to criticize the decision and the team member. This is a sure-fire way to make sure that your team never makes a decision on their own.

I have thought a lot about this as I hate to see people struggle with it. It’s very painful for them. Someone recently asked me why I seemed to be so comfortable in making decisions. After really considering it, I think it comes down to the following: I collect the data that I need, I carefully consider the situation, and then I approach it as, “Given what I know today, this appears to be the best decision for now. If that information changes in the future, then I will likely make a new decision.” Making a new decision doesn’t make the other one wrong; it’s just time for a new decision. When you buy a new car, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your last car was a mistake – it just needs to be replaced with something new that is more suited to your current situation.

How do you approach decisions? Is there something that you would like to change about it? If so, what?

To Your Success,

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