6 Tips for Successful Decision Making in the Workplace | Brian Tracy

Hello, I'm Brian Tracy and today I want to talk to you about decision-making in the workplace. Answering these questions will allow you to understand if you need to take further action and it will help you to improve your problem-solving methods for the future. Whether big or small, you face decisions that have to be addressed at work every day. Each of those decisions is more than just a decision though. They're opportunities for you to solve a problem and prove yourself as a leader, grow your organization, and set yourself and others up for success. While making a decision can be a daunting task, using critical thinking will help people make the process easier as well as guide you to the best solution. So use these five tips to develop your critical thinking skills and elevate your problem-solving and decision-making processes in the workplace. My first tip is for you to approach each decision with a positive mindset. A positive outlook makes all the difference in your ability to overcome obstacles, to try new things, and to grow as a person and as a professional. When a problem or need to make a decision arises though, it's easy to enter a state of panic or envision worst-case scenarios and put it off. So before you let your mind go there, take a step back and address every problem as another opportunity. Approaching each decision with a positive mindset will lower your stress level so that you can think more clearly in each case. It will also unlock your creative mind and allowing you to recall the information you need to think of the best, most effective solutions. The next tip is for you to collaborate with others in the workplace. Workplace decisions affect more than just the decision maker. A successful team is not a one-person show, so consider inviting others into your decision-making process to collaborate and help brainstorm the best solution for everyone. If you're struggling to make a decision on your own, remember that two heads are better than one, and often three or more are just what is needed to arrive at the best decision. Including others in your process will also help create a sense of shared responsibility to alleviate some of the pressure you may feel to make a decision on your own. The third tip I want to share for you to make a successful decision is to consider data and outcomes from previous decisions. Look back to see if a similar decision has been made before. What was the outcome? Reflect on mistakes or wins from past decisions to help you avoid or include certain steps when making your next move. It helps to make a habit of creating an after-action review for each major project or decision. I'll explain more about this later in the video, but think about including what went well, what didn't, and what might work better next time. Consider using tip number two here as well and include others in your after-action review. You'll gain an even greater perspective on the outcome if you are reflecting on and understanding the impact of that decision on a broader level. Tip number four is to set a deadline for your decision. Procrastination and the fear of making the wrong decision are the enemies of progress, but don't let these factors, these enemies if you like, keep you from moving forward. Success comes by taking action. It might help to think of each decision as a smart goal. After all, your decisions should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and of course, time-bounded. Once you and your team have made a decision, determine when to implement the solution, how long it will take to complete, and when you expect to see results. Then list the actions that are necessary to meet this deadline and who will be responsible for accomplishing them. Finally, determine what key performance indicators will allow you to measure the success of your outcomes and set a series of short-term deadlines to report on your progress. My next tip is for you to take responsibility for implementing your decision. Some of the most creative ideas never transpire because no one is assigned the authority to carry out the decision. In order for progress to be seen, someone must claim ownership over the decision-making process. Taking responsibility for a decision doesn't necessarily mean that you need to be the one to implement every following action item, though. There may be various people and jobs involved in exercising the actions that a decision's intent requires in order to see the desired outcome. Taking responsibility for the choices you have made simply means you should ensure that everyone involved knows what job they need to do, when they need to do it, and how the success of that job is defined, how it will be measured. A decision will only produce results if acted upon, so take ownership, communicate, and plan what needs to happen in order to see success. My last tip for successful decision-making is to look back and track your results. Remember that after-action review I about in tip number three? Here is where that review takes place. After enough time has passed to understand the impact of your decision, gather your team together or even do it by yourself with a sheet of paper to discuss the outcome. Write the results down and store them somewhere for everyone to reference in the future. Ask questions like, did your decision provide the What worked? What didn't work? What were other factors that impacted the solution? What work was completed on time? Who else was involved in the decision-making process? Answering these questions will allow you to understand if you need to take further action, and it will help you to improve your problem-solving methods for the future. Now, I'd love to hear from you, so my question today is this, which tip do you think will be most helpful for you to make your next decision at work? Leave a comment below and I'll be sure to follow up with you. For help in developing your decision-making and goal-setting skills, download my free Personal Development Plan template. Thanks for watching, and remember, if you want to change your future, take action, and take action now. If you enjoyed this video and feel it was valuable in teaching you about decision-making in the workplace, subscribe to my channel, like this video, and share this video with your friends. Don't forget to click the button on the screen for a free gift. Thanks again for watching.