Decision-making is arguably one of the most important skills a person could have. From what to eat for breakfast to how to deal with a work emergency–we’re constantly making multiple decisions on a daily basis that have a lasting impact on our lives. In fact, did you know that on average, a single person makes approximately 35,000 decisions in a day?
Decision-making is an especially important skill when it comes to the workplace. While your degrees and your past work experiences will definitely get future employers to notice you. However, it’s soft skills like good decision-making that’ll help you get your foot through the door.
What Are Decision-Making Skills?
Working in a company, whether you’re at a subordinate level or at a senior/managerial position, decision-making is an unavoidable part of the process. To be a good employee, you need to make decisions that are not only quick, but also correct. Making the wrong decision might result in consequences for the company and perhaps for your job too. Good decision-making requires the ability to think on the spot, weighing your options carefully, high emotional intelligence and good leadership qualities.
Applying for a new job or looking to advance in your current role? Learn about 4 decision-making skills you should brush up on in order to climb up the career ladder.
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Logical Reasoning
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This is one of the most basic skills required for good decision-making. Any decision, whether big or small, requires a person to look at the problem from an outsider’s point of view, weigh the pros and cons and then use your logical and analytical skills to come to a conclusion. For someone with poor logical skills, decisions will be hard to make, or they might even end up taking the wrong ones. Which is why it is imperative to set your emotions aside and master the skill of making an informed, logical decision.
Problem-Solving
At any challenging job, you will be faced with multiple problems on a day-to-day basis–whether it’s dealing with a client or how to handle a difficult subordinate, problems at the workplace will constantly be thrown at you. To effectively solve problems, you need to be able to think logically yet out-of-the-box, brainstorm with other colleagues, be involved in research, analyse data, manage a team and do it all within a specific period of time. If you ace these skills, you’ll certainly be creating waves at your workplace!
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Collaboration
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You might not think about your interpersonal skills when applying for a job, but they can sometimes be more important than your professional skills. Because at the end of the day, a workplace consists of multiple teams and employees and in most cases, you will be working directly or indirectly with other people. Sometimes, to make a decision, you need the input of multiple people and come to a common consensus. This is when your interpersonal skills come into play–if you do not work well with other people, it will be extremely hard for you to make decisions based on what other people think or say.
Emotional Intelligence
This is an often-overlooked quality but is just as important in your professional life as it is in your personal life. Having high emotional intelligence means being aware of, having control over, and expressing your emotions in a healthy and measured manner. This doesn’t mean that you need to be stone-cold or emotionless at your workplace–you just need to be smart about how and when to express your emotions. For example, if you’re working on a decision-making issue with a group of other people, you cannot get angry if someone disagrees with you. You need to learn the art of tactfully managing your emotions, and this will ease your process of decision-making.
Remember–to advance at any workplace, it’s no longer enough to just be good at your job. Your bosses need to see you as a future leader, and decision-making skills are of key importance in leadership positions. So make sure you’re incorporating all these skills every day to improve your decision-making.
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