Daniel Skognes

If you are a decisive person, then it can drive you crazy to be around people who can’t seem to make a decision.  If you are an analytical person, you look at things quite differently.  You typically want to think about it before making a decision.

Me?  I am a quick decision maker.  That is why I don’t go shopping with my wife.  When I go shopping, I know what I want. I go in, shoot it, bag it, and go home.  My wife?  She will pick up something and carry it around the store for an hour, then put it down and walk out without buying it.  Frankly, that drives me crazy, but she just loves to shop.  The difference here is our definition of what shopping is and how to go about shopping effectively.  The funny thing is, both of us are right.  We just look at it differently.

I have come to the same conclusion she has.  We are probably not going to change that about ourselves.  It is in our DNA. If you are dealing with someone who is indecisive, here are some things you might want to do to help the process along:

• Give the person adequate information to make a decision.  Usually the more information you can provide them the better.
• Give them time to analyze the data.  Don’t push them, but encourage them to make a decision.
• Find out if there is more than one decision maker involved.  Make sure all decision makers are present to help come to a conclusion that is satisfactory for everyone.
• Try to agree upon a timeline that they can agree to in making their decision.

If you are the analytical type of person and you are dealing with a decisive person, here are some things you can do to keep us from running off a cliff:

• Be to the point.  More information is not always necessary to make a decision.  Put things in perspective.  If you are making a million dollar deal, that is one thing.  Where to go to lunch is quite another.  Make a decision on the little thinks quickly.
• Put a timeline on what you are doing and stick to it. Quit making excuses for not making a decision one way or another.  If you really don’t want to do something, just say so.  Most people would rather you be honest with them than to be “polite” and not make a decision.
• Being indecisive can cause you or your company to miss opportunities, so be aware of the potential risk of not doing anything.
• If you can’t seem to sort through the possibilities, get someone who you trust to help you walk through it.

The reason most people hesitate to make a decision is simply fear.  They fear not being right.  They fear they could have made a better decision, or they fear the possible consequences.  Do yourself a favor and do away with fear in the decision process.  Nothing good comes from being fearful. You will pursue the opposite of what you fear and that can have life-long consequences, most of which are not good for you or anyone in your life.

There is a happy medium between analyzing and deciding.  We just have to find it.  I am not sure if that will ever happen in shopping with my wife.  I may be decisive, but I am a realist too.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2014 at 1:31 pm and is filed under Business, Relationships. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.