Decision Making and Resilience
Those of us who are more resilient likely have greater decision-making ability. This may be a case of the chicken and the egg – which comes first? Does our great decision-making ability make us more resilient or does being resilient mean that we are automatically better decision makers?
Decision making has been described as: “the ability to select between two or more alternatives to reach the best outcome in the shortest time”. It is one of the elements that make up a good foundation for resilience. We need to be good decision makers to be able to overcome adversity. When we face a difficult circumstance, our very first action demands a decision – deciding how to respond.
Decision Making in Leadership
In leadership, the ability to be decisive is a crucial skill. We have all worked with those leaders who sit on the fence, cannot make even an informed decision once they have the facts they need. Not a pretty picture! After all, if we cannot make decisions about our own lives and choices, how can we be expected to make decisions for those we are leading into the unknown? Good decision makers make better leaders.
Decision Making in a Fast-Paced, Changed World
In today’s fast paced world of unlimited choice, snappy decision making is no easy feat. Having the added pressure of living through a pandemic means that our decision-making skills are being put through their paces. Our skill when it comes to decision making can either make us or break us in a crisis and it can be a trigger for procrastination and negative feelings such as apathy and pessimism. Being a good decision maker does not necessarily mean we always make the right decisions, it just means that we are able to use a combination of the facts available to us and our intuition, to make an informed decision, quickly and effortlessly. Good decision makers don’t always get it right, but they are quick to learn from their mistakes and adjust their course accordingly.
5 Ways to Strengthen Our Decision-Making Ability
Exercise: Megan Oaten and Ken Cheng devised a study of treatment to enhance self-control. The participants were 6 men and 18 women, ages 18-50. After two months of treatment these people were: eating less junk food; eating healthier food; watching less television; studying more; saving more money; procrastinating less and being more punctual for appointments. The treatment? Physical exercise. (Source: Positive Psychology.com). It is a well-documented fact that physical exercise produces certain hormones which improve the function of the pre-frontal cortex – the part of our brain which is responsible for cognitive function, an important one of which is decision making. Have you ever tried to make an important decision when you knew you were not on top form? Getting sufficient exercise can improve your will power and decision-making ability significantly.
Eat a Balanced Diet: Again, the benefits of eating a healthy diet are well documented. The biggest benefit to eating well is that our blood sugar is kept at the optimal level. This means that our moods are more stable and our brains have the correct nutrients to keep us alert and able to gather the data they need to make decisions effectively.
Practice Self Awareness: The first step to changing any behavior is self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to recognize what we are doing when we are doing it. Being aware of what we are feeling and the reason we are doing things are an important part of making better choices. When we are self-aware, we acknowledge our emotions and actions and manage them with clarity, making room for our brains to make good choices.
Learn to Relax: True relaxation stems from the confidence that “tomorrow is another day” and that you have done your best for now. Perhaps the ability to relax is also a lack of fear of the future. We cannot truly relax until we are sure that the future will be bright, come what may. Focus on giving your problems to the universe or a higher power. Knowing that we can only take life one step at a time, one day at a time is reassurance that it is OK to rest.
Practice Meditation and mindfulness: Decision making is linked to self-control in the EQ world and meditation and mindfulness have been proved to have a marked effect on self-control by helping improve:
Attention
Focus
Stress management
Impulse control
Self-awareness
When we meditate, we lower our heart rate and the brain increases grey matter in the prefrontal cortex and other areas related to self-awareness. When we meditate, we are “growing” the part of the brain that helps our decision-making powers, much like a daily gym routine helps our physical muscles grow. The practice of mindfulness also helps improve focus and reduce stress.
In Summary
Since decision making is such a big part of our day and affects so many areas of our lives, enhancing this skill will make us more assertive, improve our confidence and ultimately, make us more resilient. Bring on those decisions to be made…………….
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the decisions you need to make, it may be time to hire a coach. Coaching can help you or your team to re-focus, consider your options and create an action plan. Contact me HERE
