What Produces Bad Decisions?

One advantage of getting gray hair is that having made a lot of mistakes, you can look back on your catalog of failure [I'm on volume 12] and consider the tear-stained lessons.

I routinely do so. On a few happy occasions I have concluded that it was a mistake to think of a certain action as a mistake [How could I have doubted myself?] and that the earlier assessment was a premature judgment of what turned out to be a very wise move indeed.

One lesson that does come through is the importance of an individual determination of the conditions that are likely to produce mistakes. A style that may work for one person can produce disaster for another and we each have to find our danger zones. Here are a few that may apply to most people:

Fatique. You're too darned tired to think straight. Fears are enhanced. You're vulnerable to exploitation by those who press for action. You need to buy time and get some rest.

Artificial deadlines. It is amazing how many people treat deadlines as holy writ. Move them if they threaten the quality of the decision and be wary of anyone who tries to push you into rash action.

Structure. I wish I could give an award to the person who first said that if you always have to "think outside of the box" then there's something wrong with the box. A poor analytical structure can be a huge burden. Change it.

Creativity. As in too much. Don't become too clever and try to do too much. Focus your efforts.

Treating symptoms instead of causes. The fleas in your front yard may come from the elephant in your living room. Don't waste time solving a symptom.

Ignoring the needs and impact of team members. Most of the time, someone on your team needs attention and support. Keep close to your associates and never have a caste system. Someone is either on or off of the team. There is no middle ground.

Being too logical. People are not governed by logic. Why do so many decision makers assume that they are? Be sure to factor a careful consideration of the possible illogical reactions into your decision making. Not to do so is illogical.

Vibrations. If you sense something is wrong, it probably is wrong. Don't rest until you find out the reason for that feeling.

Hubris. The moment that you and your team fall into a "We're a really bright bunch" mode, you're entered a major danger zone. Celebrate your achievements but sip some humility along with the champagne.