Effective decision-making is vital for leaders, as choices can ripple through personal relationships and professional outcomes. Mastering this skill is essential for success.
Introduction
There are times when one must make a decision that will cause ripples, sometimes waves. This can be uncomfortable, as these waves may extend beyond the professional realm and affect one’s personal relationships or situation. These decisions become multi-dimensional. It is difficult to consider both dimensions at once, which can result in decision gridlock and a sense of being overwhelmed.
Even the perceived threat of personal retaliation, burned bridges, or strained relationships can be anxiety-inducing. The key outcome of the process described here is a framework that helps highlight what action is obvious and provides a clear list of impacts that can then be addressed by you and your support group.
Some examples of decisions a leader may face in their professional or personal lives include:
- Deciding how to present a fact base and options to an audience with influence over you and your peers who possess divided and strong opinions on a desired outcome.
- Considering internal or external career decisions.
- Choosing to report unethical behaviour at work, risking strain in personal relationships with involved colleagues.
- Opting to pursue a high-stress promotion while considering the impact on your mental health and home life.
There is a simple framework one may use to help in this situation.
Overview
- Split Focus: Understand the different dimensions of the decision.
- Professional First: Prioritise professional impacts before personal ones.
- Personal Impact Review: Analyse personal consequences separately.
- Decide: Make an informed choice based on the insights gained.
Split Focus
The two dimensions present in these situations can cause one’s decision-making process to “bounce” between both, resulting in difficulty arriving at a set of impacts, let alone reaching a place where one can articulate why a decision should go one way or another.
It is helpful to split one’s focus to be first professional, then personal.
Professional First
This focus must be strictly on those elements of your decision that impact you professionally. It is forbidden to write anything or consider any element that isn’t strictly relevant to this side of the decision.
Write your decision down. Below this, create a table with two columns: one each for the pros and cons of doing this action. I use a spreadsheet, but any form will do.
Note: It can be normal for there to be very few items to write in either column at this point as it may turn out the best action is obvious, the difficulty often exists in the perceived personal impacts.
Personal Impact Review
Below this table or in another tab, replicate the table for personal impacts. Here, it is forbidden to write anything or consider any element that isn’t personal.
This is where, in the “con” column, one may now write about bridges that may be burned and other personal discomforts that may arise from this action.
Decide
Frequently, the best action becomes obvious upon completing the professional portion of the exercise. Viewing the possible outcomes with this strict lens can be liberating.
Considering personal pros and cons separately helps to articulate to oneself where anxiety originates and why one may feel conflicted. It provides a list of such items to work through, even if this means simply acknowledging them and moving on.
