Decision making: Slow is fast. Sometimes it’s ok to not know.

What is so fearful about saying “I don’t know”? Who made up the rule that we have to know all the time? That there is something wrong if we don’t know?

No such rule exists. In fact, the more we can slow down and be ok with ‘not knowing’, the better ideas we’ll have and the greater progress we will make more quickly.

Consider these three approaches to decision making:

1. When we think we know

In these situations, we likely don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what to do. We quickly say “I’ll do this” or “I’ll get the team to do that”. Now this type of quick decision making and problem solving is a good thing and works well for simple problems. At times we need to be able to respond quickly and efficiently. And sometimes this can be an autopilot reaction that doesn’t accomplish much. We’re not open to other ideas. You know the saying “if you always do things the same way, you’ll always get the same results”. We wonder how come we end up in the same situation repeatedly and feel like we’re not making much progress.

2. When we force ourselves to know

As leaders in our work and lives, we want to achieve results. We can lose many hours of sleep fretting about how to achieve the results. Our minds spin and obsess and we do crazy things because of the fear of getting it wrong. We also don’t want anyone to know that we don’t know. What if we get caught not knowing? So we make a decision and hope for the best. Sometimes we can be defensive when we make decisions this way because we don’t want people to know that we didn’t know – that we made a best guess. Even when a best guess is the best we can do given the circumstances.

3. When we’re ok not knowing

These are the times where the path forward is not clear and we give ourselves permission to put the problem or situation to rest for awhile and to be in the ‘not knowing’ place. We are comfortable asking the question, “what’s trying to happen?” and are patient waiting for new perspectives and ideas to emerge.  These are the moments where deep in our gut we ‘just know’. We have a sense of calm inside that signals to us that we’ve landed on a solution or next step that feels right. We have taken the time to slow down and be present in the moment, to notice the cues and subtle information coming our way. When we stop looking for the decision and are able to let go, something will pop and then we just know.

Pause and Reflect For Better Results.

I’m not saying that making quick or forced decisions is a bad thing. Sometimes they are necessary. I’m saying that we want to be aware of how we’re making decisions. When dealing with more complex problems we have to be open to new information and ways of looking at things. New possibilities come from giving ourselves more time and space for reflection rather than autopilot reaction.

The next time you are in the place of not knowing and are feeling some urgency ‘to know’, set it aside. Give yourself permission to say ‘I don’t know’ and be ok with it. Go for a walk or sit under a tree or get on your bike. Often just being outside in nature for a while helps us see things we hadn’t seen before. Meditate, write in your journal or simply breathe for a few minutes. You will be pleasantly surprised at what information shows up that you might otherwise not have noticed. You will achieve better results faster because you took it slower. And you’ll sleep better too.

Please share how you give yourself space for reflection and new ideas. You may have guessed from my other blog postings that my favourite form of reflection is running. I always return inspired with a new idea about something I’m working on. What works for you?