Lead Lines

Ten Steps to Making a Decision
Determining and pursuing the best choice

Sales managers must be skilled and efficient at making difficult decisions. In the leadership-tools.com article “Effective Decision Making,” the author offers the following “Ten Steps to Wise Decision Making.”
1. Identify the decision that must be made. This includes determining who has the actually power to make the decision, and how many options there are.
2. Brainstorm as many alternatives as possible.
3. Search for more information.
4. Explore alternatives. “You will find that the more information you gather, the more ideas will pop into your head,” the author explains.
5. Organize the information. Eliminate and qualify options, rate them according to desirability.
6. Visualize the actual outcomes of each option.
7. Narrow them down. “Which of your remaining alternatives are most likely to happen?” says the author.
8. Decide which options are appropriate for the situation. Make a plan of action.
9. Act on the decision, and give it all you’ve got.
10. Examine the results of your choice, and make adjustments if necessary.
“In the process, answer the following questions: Did I not have enough information? What values actually came into play? Were they mine or someone else’s? Remember that you can always change your mind,” the author writes.