Decide How To Decide

Hi there, this is Jon & Mark from Salt & Light.

Here's a question for you

When was the last time you paused before a decision to ask, "How should a decision like this be made?"

For most of us, if we're honest, it's not something we naturally do.

We're wired to jump straight into solving and deciding.

But what if the quality of your decision-making could significantly improve simply by pausing to decide how to decide?

Too often, even experienced decision-makers plunge into choices without asking questions that help them evaluate the nature of the decision itself.

This step back is simple, but hugely powerful.

Sometimes all we need to do is make the decision visible. Calling out that we are making a decision.

Other times we need to interrupt our defaults and ask better questions.

This pause doesn't have to take long; often, a moment of reflection is enough.
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​This becomes even more critical when we're deciding together.

High-stakes decisions rarely happen in isolation.

They happen in teams, with people bringing their different experiences, functions, and perspectives.

If we want to make better, faster decisions by tapping into our collective intelligence, we first need to get clear on how we'll decide and then align on it!

What's the process? Who has input? Who decides? Without clarity, conversations tend to go round in circles and team members end up leaving meetings without alignment.

The reality is, we're all winging it more than we'd like to admit.

Recent research from GAABS (The Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists) found that 85% of senior leaders have never received any decision training and almost half weren’t clear about their own decision-making process, even for high-stakes decisions.

So how do we bridge the gap? Start asking better questions before you decide.

Ten questions to ask before you decide

The best leaders create distance between defining the problem and solving it. That's where wisdom lives.

Here are 10 questions we love to get you started

1. What decision are you making and what is the goal?
2. What is the core of the issue?
3. How should a decision like this be made and where must you apply the most effort?
4. Who will make the final decision and how will you involve others?
5. What assumptions and biases must you be aware of when approaching this decision?
6. What metaphors shape your view of this decision?
7. What criteria guide your final decision?
8. What values matter most to you in this decision?
9. What is the ripple effect of this decision?
10. Is now a good time for this decision, or should it be deferred?

Try this

Like an iceberg, most of what matters in decision-making lies beneath the surface. The visible part, the final choice, is just the tip. Underneath is where the real work happens, clarifying the stakes, identifying who needs to be involved, acknowledging assumptions and designing the right process.

These ten questions interrupt our defaults; they create the pause that most decision-makers skip.

So, here's our challenge:

Next time you face a decision, ask yourself: “How should I decide this?” Then pick three questions from the list and reflect on them.

Want to go deeper? Join our next decision-making course or book time with us.

As always, we'd love to hear what resonates or what challenges you're facing.

Jon & Mark