Quick Decision Making Is Overrated

I often cringe when I hear a manager say that they want more quick decision makers on their team.  It’s not that coming to a quick conclusion is bad.  It’s just that it’s overrated and too often results in negative outcomes.

Many of us think that making snap decisions will make us more productive and thus get us further ahead.  But we are usually wrong with this assumption.  The first thing that pops into our mind is often a comfortable choice.  Something we’ve done before or are confident about because of our current abilities.

The best decisions are often a result of asking further questions and clarifying the problem.  It involves a degree of patience.  It involves the courage to take a bit of time to get it right.

If you find yourself in a life or death situation, quick decision making just might save your life.  But those situations don’t happen often.  And they don’t happen as often as we think in business either.  Make sure you know the difference so you can make the best decision the first time around.