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Reading this issue’s article on decision-making, I was reminded of this light-hearted practice by the story’s headline, “Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo …,” a similar decision-making “tool.” You’ll find the article provides better ways, including insights from experts on fine-tuning our ability to combine intuition with objective data to make more informed decisions.
This would be the opposite of how we often decide, suggests Jim Austin, principal with Decision Strategies International, who says, “most decisions start at an emotional, intuitive level, and then we tend to look for data to rationalize it with analytics.”
In the article, Austin, who is also learning director for CUES’ CEO Institute I, advises leaders not to rush the process. First understand the (real) problem and then draw input from many directions. “Everyone should feel empowered to bring ideas to the table,” he says, citing advice from Honeywell CEO David Cote: “Your job is to be right at the end of the meeting, not at the beginning.”
For more techniques for sharpening your thought processes, including a way to whip analysis paralysis, turn to p. 10.
Elsewhere in the issue you’ll find several more don’t-miss articles, including our Apple Pay cover story, business development success stories, an expansive look at micro branches, risk-based capital preparedness (p. 32), and grooming future leaders.
