Make rapid decisions - Andrew Halfacre

Category: Coaching Notes

Andrew Halfacre Sometimes we need to rapidly process a lot of options and make quick decisions. This exercise is taken from Brefi Group's popular workshop "Make Effective Decisions" and can help you develop the ability to know what you want very clearly.

Here's a quick exercise to develop your intuition in situations where you need to scan a lot of data and make rapid decisions. Repeated practice at decision making this way will improve your ability to know and trust your intuitive sense of "Yes".

To get better at these kinds of rapid decisions, divide the decision into two phases. First scan, then process the results.

For example. I love reading but often experience total sensory overload when I'm in the library or a big bookshop. There is just so much choice but my time is limited and, although I don't want to make bad choices, I do want to find new authors, read interesting things and make new discoveries. Here's how to do it...

First I pull out every single book that catches my eye without much judgement at all. Just "Does it look interesting?"

When I have a pile of 20 or so I begin to process. I look at each one and decide whether it is a Yes, No or Maybe (hint: if you are not sure then it is a maybe!). Yes is only Yes if you have a clear, unmistakable sense that it is Yes. Anything else is a maybe, which is a No.

I borrow or buy all the "Yes" and put the "No" pile back. Since "Maybe" means "No" then all of those go back as well. Sometimes all the books go back.

Over time I have found that I get less 'Maybe' and am much better at intuitively knowing when it is a Yes or No.

This kind of rapid 'Scan then Process' approach has other uses too.

For example:

Shopping for clothes - pull them all out then do Yes, No, Maybe on them.

Interviews - divide candidates into Yes, No, Maybe. Interview the Yes pile. Put the others to one side.

Managing a long action list - decide what to do first using Yes, No, Maybe.

The key is to trust your sense of "Yes" which will then get stronger and to be firm that your "Maybe" is really "No".

So what happens if your "Yes" turns out to be a bum decision, the book was no good, the clothes didn't match anything or the person was a dud? Well remember that you are in the process of training yourself to make rapid intuitive decisions. This kind of good judgement comes from experience. But where does experience come from? That's right, bad judgement!

A lot of getting good at decision making is learning to fail rapidly and move on. That's how you get good. So many people hesitate and dither so deny themselves the practice that would actually speed things up and increase their trust in their intuition.

Remember. Scan. Then Process. Is it Yes? No? Or Maybe? And maybe means No!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on where else you can apply this.

Andrew Halfacre is an associate of Brefi Group and principal of Lighthouse 365

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