Last week's tip was about avoiding the decision trap by asking two simple questions. If you answered YES to either question it was a signal to pause and seek a quality decision. 

A quality decision is one that analyses future effects carefully.

Consider the following imaginary problem as an example. The time context is important so please note it carefully.

Imagine it is 1 June, 2009 and you are looking at the April catering result. It showed a big loss. You suspect dishonesty.

The two decision trap questions have indicated the need for a quality decision.

Now imagine:

1. You have travelled 4 weeks into the future. It is 30 June 2009.
2. You are in your office, sifting through all the reports. You are looking for evidence that the decisions you made back on 1 June were good decisions. 
3. You are feeling very pleased with yourself as you go through the evidence. It looks as though your decisions were excellent.
4. Make a list of all the evidence that is making you proud of your decisions on June 1.
5. We will refer to each piece of imagined evidence as a General Outcome.

This process transfers the focus away from “What should I do?” (the decision trap), to “What have I achieved at some future time?” (outcomes)

Thinking in Outcomes is basic to quality decisions and sound strategy.
 





 

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