## Core skills for making decisions 1. [[Find the lead domino]] 2. [[The root problem]] 3. [[When to decide]] 4. [[The most important thing]] 5. [[Owning the frame]] ## Introduction Decisions are the choices we make to overcome existing problems, avoid future problems, or seize opportunities. While a lot of people fear and avoid decisions, by embracing them and learning how to master them we step out of a passive role in our lives and into an active one. We step into a leadership role. Most people spend their time suffering the consequences of poor decisions in work or life. This is why we feel so busy all the time - we barely have the time to do the work we have in front of us, let alone the work we need to do to make better decisions. We're barely hanging on. On the other hand, good decisions compound over time and make things easier in the future. When we take the time to improve our decision-making skills we benefit ourselves and everyone in our lives. Decision-trees, pro/con lists, etc are tools to make good decisions, but if we want to make the best decisions we need the practical skills to wield these tools. Linear decision-making might be described with the following steps: 1. Identify the decision 2. Gather relevant information 3. Identify the alternatives 4. Weigh the evidence 5. Choose among the alternatives 6. Take action 7. Review decision and consequences In the real world, however, there are multiple hypotheses being tested at once. We use the outcomes from one experiment to inform others. Instead of using a linear process, it's better to master the skills that apply throughout the process so we can step into any phase of any decision and help. Skills in this arena include: - Determine and prioritize what matters most to us - How to identify and solve the right problem - How to contribute to a decision in any role - How to know when to gather more information vs when we've done enough and it's time to decide - How to reframe problems to spot opportunities where others can't - How to gather the best information to use to decide, even if it's outside our circle of competence - How to execute on decisions in a way that retains resilience in the most wide outcomes - How to leverage our decision-making power when we're at our best - Get teams onboard before we have to make tough calls - How to think about and calculate risk so we can be prepared for the widest range of outcomes - Where decisions go really bad - How to learn from your decisions no matter what the outcomes are ___ Note: This collection of ideas has been adapted from the Decision by Design course by Farnam Street ___