With huge apologies to ailurophobes - I had not heard of this word either, but it means people who do not like cats - I want to draw another analogy this week with our kitten’s behaviour. When he prepares for some death defying climb up a tree, he sort of crouches down and wriggles before launching himself at the trunk. I assume he is assessing the challenge, which bearing in mind the potential consequences, is a very good thing. In our professional world taking the time to look before we leap and considering the consequences of a decision or action before making it is a critical and often sometimes underrated skill. The expression derives from Aesop’s Fables where the fox tells the goat to "look before you leap" after the goat jumps into a well without assessing the situation. This can in our professional world be in the context of an interchange with a colleague, manager or subordinate, providing advice to clients or participating in a transaction such as a contract negotiation. And the opportunity to act precipitously is greatly enhanced by the many means of communication at our disposal. Even in a face to face encounter it can be easy to underestimate the consequences of an offhand comment, especially to a subordinate. However, the online world with its different channels of communication (many of which encourage rapid responses) and the plethora of data available on any subject pressurises us to make precipitous decisions without taking the time to properly consider the consequences.
AI suggests that “Making decisions too quickly as a professional—often termed "shooting from the hip" or "premature closure"— can lead to costly mistakes, with research showing that 92% of regretted decisions are made in under 24 hours.” The dangers are:
See this Forbes article How To Make Decisions Quickly which proposes that the key to making good decisions whether as an individual or an organisation “involves avoiding many subtle dangerous judgment errors.” These can be caused by cognitive biases or mental blind spots which can be avoided or at least mitigated by asking some key questions including:
Rather like our cat’s physical preparation for a jump the skill here is I suggest focussing on how to make business decisions effectively and in a timely manner – especially when as a professional and a manager you are asked to make hundreds of decisions every day. See this Harvard Business School article How to Enhance Your Decision-Making Skills as a Leader which observes that “According to a 2023 Oracle study, 85 percent of business leaders report suffering from “decision distress”—regretting, feeling guilty about, or questioning a decision they made in the past year.” Common pitfalls include:
Solutions include:
Involve Your Team – don’t think you must make every decision yourself
Leverage Data – consider data beyond financial statistics such as key performance indicators
Learn from other Leaders – I was always impressed by a chief executive of one company I acted for who despite his evident seniority spoke openly about the benefits of his relationship with a mentor.
For me the key is to categorise decisions and sift out those which are business or transaction critical from run of the mill day to day choices. I hope that if our cat is contemplating climbing a fifty-foot fir tree he is more cautious than a ten-foot sapling – although I am not so sure he is! With the crucial decisions find more time - the adage of sleep on it is a perfect example here. Winston Churchill was reputed to dictate angry letters, then wait for the following day when he often revised or did not send them. Good decisions are a balance of speed and quality. Here are some pertinent AI proposals on this process.
Categorize Decision Stakes: For low-risk, reversible decisions, move fast (95% of business choices). For high-risk, irreversible decisions, move slow.
Apply the "72-Hour Rule": Research indicates that major decisions (especially emotional ones) benefit from a 48–72 hour waiting period, increasing quality by 43%.
Use the 10-10-10 Rule: Evaluate the decision based on its impact in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years.
Ask "Wait" Questions: Before committing, ask: Is this reversible? Would waiting change my mind?
Create "Speed Bumps": Establish mandatory checklists or gather input from others to combat cognitive biases.
The military mantra "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" attributed to the U.S. Navy SEALs, is highly applicable here. Deliberate, controlled actions (slow) prevent errors (smooth), ultimately leading to faster, more efficient completion of tasks while rushing causes mistakes, which slows down overall progress.
As Marshall Wyatt Earp advised: “Fast is fine, but accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry.”
While Sophocles proposed “Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.”
And for an apt concluding comment from the novelist Samuel Butler: "Look before you leap, for as you sow, so are you likely to reap."
AI suggests that “Making decisions too quickly as a professional—often termed "shooting from the hip" or "premature closure"— can lead to costly mistakes, with research showing that 92% of regretted decisions are made in under 24 hours.” The dangers are:
- Financial risk
- Excluding more innovative decisions
- Strategic failure
- Ignoring key facts.
See this Forbes article How To Make Decisions Quickly which proposes that the key to making good decisions whether as an individual or an organisation “involves avoiding many subtle dangerous judgment errors.” These can be caused by cognitive biases or mental blind spots which can be avoided or at least mitigated by asking some key questions including:
- What important information did I not yet fully consider? A common danger involves looking only for evidence that supports your preferred option, so make sure to look twice as hard for evidence that goes against your preferred option.
- What would a trusted and objective adviser suggest I do? Have mentors, coaches, consultants, and other experts to whom you can turn to help you make a good decision.
- How have I addressed all the ways it could fail? This question transitions from the stage of deciding which option to choose into implementing this choice to achieve your goals.
Rather like our cat’s physical preparation for a jump the skill here is I suggest focussing on how to make business decisions effectively and in a timely manner – especially when as a professional and a manager you are asked to make hundreds of decisions every day. See this Harvard Business School article How to Enhance Your Decision-Making Skills as a Leader which observes that “According to a 2023 Oracle study, 85 percent of business leaders report suffering from “decision distress”—regretting, feeling guilty about, or questioning a decision they made in the past year.” Common pitfalls include:
- Defaulting to consensus
- Not offering alternatives to your proposed solution
- Mistaking opinions for facts
- Losing sight of purpose
- Truncating debate
Solutions include:
Involve Your Team – don’t think you must make every decision yourself
Leverage Data – consider data beyond financial statistics such as key performance indicators
Learn from other Leaders – I was always impressed by a chief executive of one company I acted for who despite his evident seniority spoke openly about the benefits of his relationship with a mentor.
For me the key is to categorise decisions and sift out those which are business or transaction critical from run of the mill day to day choices. I hope that if our cat is contemplating climbing a fifty-foot fir tree he is more cautious than a ten-foot sapling – although I am not so sure he is! With the crucial decisions find more time - the adage of sleep on it is a perfect example here. Winston Churchill was reputed to dictate angry letters, then wait for the following day when he often revised or did not send them. Good decisions are a balance of speed and quality. Here are some pertinent AI proposals on this process.
Categorize Decision Stakes: For low-risk, reversible decisions, move fast (95% of business choices). For high-risk, irreversible decisions, move slow.
Apply the "72-Hour Rule": Research indicates that major decisions (especially emotional ones) benefit from a 48–72 hour waiting period, increasing quality by 43%.
Use the 10-10-10 Rule: Evaluate the decision based on its impact in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years.
Ask "Wait" Questions: Before committing, ask: Is this reversible? Would waiting change my mind?
Create "Speed Bumps": Establish mandatory checklists or gather input from others to combat cognitive biases.
The military mantra "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast" attributed to the U.S. Navy SEALs, is highly applicable here. Deliberate, controlled actions (slow) prevent errors (smooth), ultimately leading to faster, more efficient completion of tasks while rushing causes mistakes, which slows down overall progress.
As Marshall Wyatt Earp advised: “Fast is fine, but accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry.”
While Sophocles proposed “Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.”
And for an apt concluding comment from the novelist Samuel Butler: "Look before you leap, for as you sow, so are you likely to reap."
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