Can you believe it?  The Seattle SeaHawks seemed to have “given up” their Super Bowl title to the New England Patriots when they were only one yard away from victory.  If I didn’t see it for myself, I probably would not have believed it.  It all came down to the call made for the last play.

Instead of driving the ball into the end zone, the QB decided to throw it, and …………. ZAP!  Just like that, a rookie defense player intercepted the ball and made the game-changing play that gave his team the championship title.

Isn’t that just like life, sometimes?  It appears as if things are going so well and nothing could go wrong, then out of the blue, the decision you make goes awry.  If this hasn’t happened to you, then just keep living.

Perhaps you’ll make a decision to incorporate PowerPoint slides in your lesson but have the LCD projector to go bad.  Maybe, you’ll decide to offer your students extra help only to find that the parents wouldn’t allow them to attend.  Or you might decide to surprise your spouse with a lunch date but learn that he/she is too busy to leave work.

Whatever it may be, sometimes our decisions may not yield the intended outcome.  But that’s okay.  Stuff happens!  The important thing is how we respond to the experience.  We’ve got to take the good with the bad but keep learning so that the good begins to outweigh the bad.

Sometimes when we make a strategic call that fails, we tend to shy away from being decisive the next time around.  But making decisions is a part of moving forward in any arena.  Winners, like the recent super bowl champions can give us a few tips about making the call.

1. Do it even if you’re scared. Are you waiting for the right emotions to cue the decision you should make?  Well, you’ll be waiting until you’re blue in the face and those butterflies will still be jumping in your belly.  Many times, those decisions will have to be made in the midst of fear.
2. Figure out your ideal time for decision making. Though fear tends to raise its ugly head, would you believe that the time of day could help you make better decisions?  Apparently, the morning time is better for making those tough choices that involve high risk.  As explained in this video, it all has to do with the level of serotonin in our brains.  Interesting, huh?
3. Don’t just choose the default option. When there are several options to consider some folks prefer to go with what others have already selected.  They don’t want the stress of thinking it through.

Grantland Rice noted, “a wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion.” So, instead of abdicating responsibility for properly evaluating, we should first limit our options.  No doubt, the quarter back looked at the various plays he could have made, but narrowed down his options until he chose one.

4. Expect the best but prepare for the worse. Especially when there’s a human element involved, we have to come to grips with reality.  Even after proper evaluation, things still might go wrong.   So learn to expect the unexpected.
5. Take responsibility for the outcome. Leaders should be quick to attribute successful decisions to others, but just as quickly, they should take the blame for the bad ones.  The bottom line is that you could have said or done something else to get a different result.  Accepting responsibility is the first step towards making a better decision next time.

Mankind has been making decisions since the Garden of Eden.  Nevertheless, decision-making is still not an easy task, especially when the heat is on.  We should endeavor to get better at this daily process.  After all, even the smallest decision can change the course of our lives forever.

Leave a comment:  What tip, strategy or system has helped you to become better at making the decisive calls even under pressure?