5 Steps to Making Big Decisions

Marcianne Kuethen

January 7, 2013

Whenever our family plans to eat out and the decision is up to me, I usually throw out several options. This is not just because I’m trying to consider others’ feelings–it’s also because I’m indecisive! Is my favorite food tacos, lasagna, or a giant Santa Fe salad?

Unlike a simple restaurant choice, making a workplace decision obviously has far more serious ramifications that impact your entire organization. And often, choices must be made without all the information you’d ideally like to have. Rajat Taneja, a CTO, offers a practical 5-step process for making decisions, even in the face of uncertainty. His step #2 is my favorite:

Encourage dissenting points of view: Everybody has a set of experiences that inform their decision making. It’s the muscle memory they rely on when confronted with a big choice. I find this method dangerous because you can risk only listening to those arguments that support your predisposed points of view whereas you need diverse perspectives to make the best decision. I always try and seek out those that have a different perspective, listen seriously to the counter points of view and ensure every voice is heard. When people are reticent or shy to express an unpopular opinion, giving them a voice and an environment to disagree is incredibly important.

If you want to challenge yourself to grow, click here to read all 5 steps to making big decisions.

Even though 2012 is gone, it’s not too late to read a great business book that topped the charts last year.

Article originally published on linkedin.com by Rajat Taneja.