What are our criteria for decision making?

Decision making is a competence that can differentiate a good leader, and where exercising self-control is critical for success. In particular, we can make sure that our needs and emotions do not interfere with the process of effective decision making. Do we base our decisions on whim or on true knowledge of the situations and the stakeholders involved? Our history is full of examples of wrong decisions at critical moments, such as refusing help after a catastrophe due to a difference of ideology with those offering aid. It seems that leaders do not take into account the context of the situation and the needs of the collective as much as they do their own criteria. Our response to difficult situations provides a good measure of the significance of using context. For example, there are certain decisions that should be taken immediately after a disaster and not after a personal assessment, such as sending specific resources that can assist those in dire need. This could save lives and make a difference by having help available 2 days after a disaster as opposed to a week later.

I think that effective decision making has a lot to do with being prepared. This means that there have to be mechanisms in place to collect information that can provide an understanding of the situations we are confronted with. Do we take the time to question what is really going on and finding the reasons behind the problems we are confronted with? Or are we blinded by our emotions such as fear and anger? It is best to make informed decisions that can target specific problems and focus resources on resolving them.

With ever increasing sources of data, decision making becomes more of a challenge if we are not prepared to process and interpret them correctly. Also, the data we receive does not necessarily give us a license to automate decisions. Sometimes bold assessments are made that can give the wrong impression of the situation. For example, it could be said that the poor have greater access to health and education because the number of clinics and schools have doubled. Yet when we look closer we could find they lack the resources required to carry out their functions. Leaders would do well to ensure that the decisions taken maximize the benefits of those that are affected.