Decisions, Decisions

The other day, I was at a supermarket considering whether or not to get something from the hot food bar for lunch.

A woman walked up next to me and was looking at the hot food bar also, and we were considering different options, and then kind of moved around each other to look at other options that the other was in front of.

And eventually she said, “I hope this is as good as it looks!”

 And I agreed and then, after I started to take something, she started to take something.

I admit I felt a little pressure, as if she was waiting for me to decide, and if that would influence her decision, but it brings up two very interesting aspects of decision making in general.

One is that we tend to be influenced by the behavior of somebody else even if it’s a stranger. The second interesting aspect of decision making is often we think if someone else agrees with us, it’s the right decision, but the reality is, ultimately, what matters is the quality, the outcome of the decision that you’ve made.

I highly encourage you to do what I do occasionally, which is look back over recent decisions I’ve made, both good and bad, and try to assess what made the good decisions good. What was I doing? Who was I talking with, if I didn’t consult with anyone else? What was my decision-making process? And the same for the bad decisions.

It is quite possible whether you are at a hot food bar or making a much more consequential decision, that the best person to consult with around what you should do, is you.