The Art of Decision Making

They say, ‘Change is the only constant.’  But decision making is another constant that everyone—from a toddler to a Prime Minister to a beggar on the street—constantly engages in several times a day, if not every minute of their lives.

But did anyone bother to learn the skill, rather the art, of Good Decision making. Can you imagine the impact such an improvement could have in a person’s life?

Our life is all about choices and decisions. If we master good decision making and constantly make intelligent decisions through the course of our lives, the sky will be the limit to the quality of life we can enjoy.

Destiny – A Game of Choices

Our destiny takes shape on the basis of the decisions and choices we make through the course of our lives. Acquiring the skill and mastering the art of good decision making can, in reality, change as well as improve what one believes to be one’s destiny.

In approach to making a decision, we will get familiarized with is called the ‘Kepner-Tregoe’ approach which is used by the likes of NASA and General Motors to make crucial decisions with serious impacts.

As per this approach, the outcome one is looking at is that of arriving at the ‘Best Possible Choice,’ which may not be the one with the least amount of risk. It is part of the process, however, to identify as well as to try and reduce the associated risks as far as possible.

The Kepner-Tregoe Approach in Decision Making

After setting up your objectives clearly, identify as well as explore the choices available that can lead you to achieving those objectives.

Clearly identify the strengths and weaknesses associated with each one of these choices and arrive at the best possible decision after taking all the factors into account in this manner.

A highly organized method of making a decision, after you start using it a few times in your life, you may not need to sit down and actually write or type all the contents down every time you need to decide on something but it will become your mind’s way of taking good decisions.

An Important Decision Taken in 1998

When Atal Bihari Vajpayee formed a National Democratic Alliance government in India, like all other prime ministers before him he was confronted with the decision to either order another series of nuclear tests or maintain the status quo of nuclear ambiguity while refusing to sign the discriminatory Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty.

Despite the short term costs of nuclear sanctions by other nations, Prime Minister Vajpayee decided in favour of the long term benefits to national security and India’s power projection by ordering the Shakti series of nuclear tests in 1998. Fifteen years later, with the benefit of hindsight, it was one of the best decisions that any Prime Minister of India has taken.

A regime of stable nuclear deterrence prevails in the sub-continent, wars and skirmishes do not escalate to unmanageable levels because of the presence of nuclear deterrence and all the three major nations in question can concentrate more on the challenge of development and economic growth and scarce resources are not frittered in full-blown war.

The Indo-American Nuclear Deal shows that the status quo established by Vajpayee’s government in 1998 is now respected in major world capitals including Washington, D.C. Using any framework of decision making analysis, this was a good decision taken by the Prime Minister of India in 1998.

Conclusion – Decision Making

Our emotions and past experiences often create a lot of confusion in our minds when it comes to making decisions. To avoid the anxiety, many of us resort to instinctive and rushed decision making which does not always get us the best results in life.

Using our head is always a better option and the Kepner-Tregoe approach can help us do just that. Make well-thought out Decisions, day after day and you will see your life improving, one decision at a time. Making a decision may seem stressful but it is an essential leadership skill and this can be tricky too.