Decision Dilemmas?

by rshafir | November 21, 2023 | Entrepreneurship

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I’m kicking off the holiday season with a topic we can all relate to. Could better business decision-making make a more successful 2023-24 for you?

My client, RJ, sorely needed to hire an administrative assistant (AA). He decided to take charge of this task on his own.

Two weeks later, RJ reached out for help having made no progress. “What got in the way?” I asked.

His response included a host of the usual culprits ─ the tendencies that conspire for many of us when making important decisions. They included:

• Overthinking. RJ was conflicted. He spent his time collecting online articles about what makes a good AA, how to manage an AA or how to manage himself instead.
• Fear. He discovered several articles about AAs who stole an employer’s money and resources. The potential costs of detectives, lawyers and court time further stunted progress.
• Avoidance. In addition to the above, as an introvert, he dreaded the hassles of interviewing so many people and wasting time on poor candidates.
• Perfectionist tendencies. His expectations were a bit too lofty for the money he was willing to spend on an AA.
• Poor sleep. RJ often stayed up well past midnight trying to be his own AA. Consequently, after several weeks of too little sleep, he was irritable and more indecisive than usual.

4 Step Business Decision Making Process

Therefore, we created a basic 4 step business decision-making process that he could adapt for future decision-making. Together, we:

• gathered the essential facts.  As the research suggests, when making decisions ─ less data is more.

• narrowed down the job description to a short list of absolutes: duties, specific qualifications, experience, salary requirements, in-person vs. remote, etc. This would save interview time.

• discussed the short-term and long-term advantages for making a “good” versus a “perfect” decision and why to make it soon. RJ had many projects coming up and was becoming increasingly disorganized with current tasks.

• got the process out of his head and down on paper. We drew a pros and cons table for the interviews. We listed the absolutes in the column on the left and spaces for the applicants’ names across the top. We left a few rows open for bonus features a candidate may offer such as “willing to work on weekends” or “does errands.”

RJ agreed to post the job immediately, knowing that he could amend the description if needed.

The happy ending: By the end of the week, RJ had spoken to five candidates who met the very specific job description. In a manner of minutes, the table made it easy to narrow it down to two applicants who were the best fit for the job. Knowing how another decision could lead to overthinking, RJ gave way to his gut instincts and made his choice.

Some business decisions are easier or more difficult to make than RJ’s. Nevertheless, getting the process down on paper reduces the emotional and cognitive overload resulting in faster and more efficient decision-making.

I am grateful for your queries and your requests for solutions to the perplexing executive functioning problems many founders face. Send them to me at Rebecca@MindfulCommunication.com. Watch for solutions in future blog posts. Visit my website at www.MindfulCommunication.com