I don't need principles to make decisions... really?

How do you want to make collective decisions within your team? By consensus, majority vote, authority or delegation? Consensus engages the team, but lengthens the process. Majority voting is quicker, but leaves some people unhappy. Authority strengthens your leadership in a crisis, but can create dependency. Delegation gives you responsibility, but reduces the involvement of others.

What values do you want to instil in your children? Honesty encourages open communication, but can lead to conflict. Responsibility makes them autonomous, but generates pressure. Compassion develops their sensitivity, but exposes them to exploitation.

How do you decide on future investments? Focusing on financial performance maximises short-term profits, but can lead you to neglect innovation. Environmental impact enhances your reputation, but limits profitable investment. Innovation positions your company as a leader, but increases the financial risks.

As a parent, how do you assess your children's progress at school? If you focus on grades, this encourages rigour but leads to stress. If you value personal development, you build their autonomy, but this may lack academic rigour.

As a leader, where do you want the main decisions to be taken? Centralisation guarantees strategic coherence, but slows down decisions and reduces team autonomy. Decentralisation encourages responsiveness and innovation, but can lead to strategic inconsistencies.

In ‘Decisions about Decisions’, Cass R. Sunstein makes 10 recommendations for improving your decision-making:

1. Be aware of your cognitive biases and adopt methods to minimise them, such as consulting several sources or using structured processes.

2. Adopt structured decision-making processes such as SWOT analysis and consider different scenarios to predict the consequences.

3. Involve all stakeholders to enrich your thinking and build trust.

4. Decouple your emotions from your decisions by using the Pause & Oberve before Deciding method. 

5. Prioritise your decisions: Distinguish between the urgent and the important, and delegate less critical decisions.

6. Establish feedback mechanisms and encourage a culture of continuous improvement.

7. Use available data to inform your decisions and compare with similar cases.

8. Limit decisions made under pressure

9. Organise and share information effectively using management software or brainstorming techniques.

10. Accept uncertainty and ambiguity by preparing Plan Bs and trusting your intuition.

I invite you to choose one or two of these recommendations and then discuss them with your partners to implement them in your daily life.