Decisions need to be made in business all the time, and this can sometimes be very difficult.
Sometimes it is clear which way you should go, but other times, even though you have all the facts and all the arguments, there may not be any clear evidence to support one way over another. When it comes to times like this, all you can do is rely on your own judgement.
You can learn good judgement and get better at it, and to do this, you must turn your knowledge into understanding. This means that you need to be critical of all the information, you have to really absorb all of the information you receive and be careful not to filter any out.
Leaders with good judgement tend to be good listeners and readers and they are often sceptical of information that doesn’t make sense.
If you want to improve your decision making, then you need to practice active listening. You
need to learn to notice what isn’t being said and know how to interpret body language. It’s also important to look back at past decisions you have made and think about what went well and what went badly.
When you’re faced with a difficult decision, you need to understand, clarify, and accept different viewpoints. You also need to make sure that you do have all the information you need, so if you’re not sure then you need to press for clarification on the information, and challenge people if you think important facts are missing. Without all the information and the correct information then you won’t be able to use your judgement and make an informed decision.