Who or what will influence your decision?

Who will have a say in your decision? Who will have a stake in the outcome of your decision?

Every decision is influenced by others. Sometimes it's other people; sometimes it is other organizational entities, like departments in a corporation. Take other's opinions into account in your decision making process. It is valuable information. It does not mean that you should let others make the decision for you, but an effective decision maker takes other's views into account, even when they conflict.

When you have a decision that involves multiple perspectives, and those perspectives have a vote in the decision, it's important to understand their objectives and their viewpoints.

Decisions by committee get a bad rap. Decisions by consensus are usually characterized as a lowest common denominator compromise. And, oftentimes that is true, but not always. And, it can be a time saver. If you have polled all the perspectives on your decision (be they people, or other organizational elements - like departments in a business) and all agree, then it's quite possible you are done with the decision making process.

It is valuable to consider various perspectives in your decision making process. It probably seems obvious who, or what, the perspectives are for a decision, but often times we fail to consider people that might object, or disagree, with our preconceived hunch regarding our decision. These perspectives might give us the best insight in our quest to arrive at the right solution.

For example, if your deciding which college to attend and one of your choices has a very active fraternity environment, you may rate that fact as a "Pro" for that alternative. However, your parent may look at that same fact and rate it a "Con". This is valuable information to have and, even though it may not feel like it sometimes, will help you arrive at an optimal solution.

If you would like more information and tools to help you with decision making, visit