Going with your gut

You probably make 100 small decisions every day, many of which you won’t even be aware of. So how come some of the big decisions like, ‘what should I do with my career?’, ‘should I apply for that role?’, ‘which candidate should I hire?’ feel so overwhelming?

It’s because you process these types of decisions differently. According to psychologist Daniel Kahneman, in his seminal book ‘Thinking, fast and slow’, there are two distinct systems that your brain uses to process decisions. System 1 is fast, instinctive and emotionally driven. System 2 is rational, considered and reflective.

When you make a decision using System 1, you may find yourself experiencing a sense of certainty that you can’t explain. You may call it a ‘gut’ reaction or just feel that what you have chosen is the right thing to do.

This is because the reaction is generated in your hippocampal region (the seat of your emotions and memories), which is designed to help you navigate the world with ease by, for the most part, seeking familiarity and safety. Faced with two paths ahead, the one that looks gloomy and less trodden will be less appealing to our System 1 decision making process than the one that is light, bright and well trodden.

How many times have you been encouraged to ‘go with your gut’ when grappling with a big decision? For many, this is the gold standard of decision making because, if you feel that something’s right, then it is, right?

The problem with ‘thinking fast’

Whilst it is possible to make good decisions by ‘thinking fast’ it’s also worth knowing that it can be easily corrupted by our biases and the biases of others. Your brain is not objective; every decision you make, no matter how big or small, will be based upon the information that is available to you, both external and internal.

It will also be influenced by the views of the people you respect who, yes you guessed it, are also influenced by their own biases.Think about the people you have hired or the people you most enjoy working with. How similar are they to you?

It might not always be obvious until you think about their upbringing, values, communication style or lifestyle but, unless you have made a conscious effort to work against your biases, the answer is likely to be, ‘very’. You will almost certainly place the most trust in the people who you believe are most like you.

This isn’t because you are bigoted in some way, it’s because your System 1 process has decided that you like or dislike someone based on what is safest for you. It’s based on the experiences you have had with different types of people in different contexts, plus a whole lot of societal influences thrown in for good measure, and it will confirm what your brain thinks it has already figured out about the world.

Why? Because it’s easy and, left to its own devices, your brain will always take the easiest route.  So, if you make a decision using only System 1, it might feel right but it doesn’t mean that it is. For you, or anyone else.

Thinking more clearly

When you ‘think slow’, you are consciously taking more time to weigh up the pros and cons of the decisions you are making based on more than just first impressions or ‘gut’ feel. You are encouraging your brain to take a more objective view of a situation by actively working through all your options before making a decision.

Doing this will help to challenge assumptions and push through some of those unconscious biases. But, it can make things a whole lot more confusing and can make the decision feel harder and more complicated.

So, how can you get enough clarity to make the right decision?

Firstly, it’s important to acknowledge that there is rarely one single ‘right’ decision. There will be positive and negative consequences for every decision you make - and don’t get us started on the ‘unintended’ ones!

Being great at decision making isn’t about getting it right, it’s about making sure that you have considered all the options and outcomes based on the information you have at the time. Not everyone has to be happy with your decision but they should be able to see that the decision making process was fair and has resulted in positive outcomes for those involved.

Note: we’re not suggesting that you should slow down every single decision you make because, quite frankly, who’s got time for that? But we are suggesting that some of your ‘bigger’ decisions or those which affect other people, might benefit from a little more conscious processing.

Decision making and personality

You may find that you are naturally drawn to either a ‘rational’ or ‘gut feel’ approach to decision making. Partly, this is likely to be influenced by aspects of your personality, although that doesn't mean you have to always act in a certain way. But it's good to understand your preferences.

Take some time to reflect on past decisions you have made:

- What evidence or information did you consider when making your decision?

- What process (if any) did you take to make your decision?

- What was the outcome?

- Did you feel confident with your decision?

- Do you apply this same process to all decisions?

- When does this process work and when is it less effective?

It’s good to be aware of your decision making preferences and reflect on how effective they are. Take a look below to think about how you could adapt your style to apply more consistency to your decision making process.

A process for decision making

Have a goal
It’s hard to make a decision out of context. How will you know whether to apply for a promotion if you’re not sure where you want to be in a year’s time? Take the time to think about how your decision fits into your bigger life or work goals, or the goals of your team or organisation.
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‍Know why
Related to the previous point, it’s important to think about why your decision is important. What will the impact of your decision be on you and those involved? What will the impact be if you put off the decision, are unable to make it or don’t give it proper thought?

‍Gather information
Make sure you have access to all the information you need in order to make the best decision you can. This can be time consuming but is worth the effort.

Involve other people
Not all decisions have to be made alone. Is this is a decision that you could make with someone else your team? Have a read of our guide to effective collaboration for some pointers.

Weigh it up
‍Consider all your options - list them out if you need to. What will be the pros and cons of each option for you and those who would be impacted by your decision?

‍Challenge you biases
‍What assumptions are you making about yourself, the situation or the outcome of your decision (either way)?

‍Alternative options
‍Are there any other options you could consider? It’s rare that any decision will be completely binary. Is there something you haven’t thought of?

‍Check with someone you trust
No one can make a decision for you but it might be worth checking your thinking with a few people or a person you really trust. Accept that their view will be naturally biased but may still be helpful to sense-check your thinking, especially when it comes to assumptions you might have made or issues of fairness.

Be confident
‍Once you have made your decision, be confident with it. If you have taken the time to do all of the above then you have done your best to make a good decision. Be confident that this this is the best decision for you, right now.

‍Be flexible
Being confident with your decisions doesn’t mean that you are inflexible. If new information comes to light that affects the decision you have made, don’t be afraid to consider it. Sticking with decisions that are no longer relevant or right is easy because changing your mind can be painful, but people will trust your decisions all the more in the future if you can be flexible when it’s called for.

In summary...

According to psychologist Daniel Kahneman you have two distinct decision making processes: System 1 - fast, instinctive and emotional, and System 2 - rational, considered and reflective.

You use both, and may favour one over the other dependent on your personality type. Both can be useful and we need System 1 for the myriad small decisions we make everyday. When you have big decisions to make, taking some time to slow down your thinking and allow System 2 to kick in will help you to make better, more considered decisions that you can feel confident in.

Applying a process when making big decisions will allow you to challenge assumptions and biases that are often left unchallenged when we only rely on System 1.

There is no such thing as a ‘right’ decision. You should aim to make the best decision you can, with the information you have available, be confident in your decision and remain open to other people’s opinions and to new information.

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