Questions for Decision-Making
by Dr. Keith E. Webb

It's said that no one makes a decision that they think is bad.

Everyone makes choices that they believe, given what they know then, will benefit them or protect them from something worse.

How We Make Decisions
Decisions are based on a person's reasoning. We reason according to our available information, values, experiences, emotions, and motivations. Some people lump all these under one label: assumptions. I find it more helpful to coach by distinguishing them.

It's said that 90% of decision-making is based on emotions. I see most decision-making as a product of our underlying motivations: we want something, or we want to avoid something.

Motivations based on social status, security, or pleasure lurk under the surface of the decision-making process. By drawing out motivations you can help people to make better decisions.

Questions For Decision-Making
You can help people make better decisions by exploring five categories of decision-making, and especially motivations.

1. Information

• What information do you think is critical to your decision process?
  
• What further information would make a difference in your ability to make an informed decision?
  

2. Values

• Where does this decision intersect with your values?
  
• Which of your values are not currently honored sufficiently in this decision?
  

3. Experiences

• What past experiences could inform your thinking on the current situation?
  
• In what ways are your past experiences influencing this decision process?

4. Emotions

• What emotions do you feel about this situation?
• How are emotions effecting your decision-making process?
  

5. Motivations

• What do you want to achieve? How would that benefit you?
• What do you want to avoid or not lose?
  

Leveraging Motivations
Of these five categories, the first three surface good information for making logical decisions. But studies show people don't make decisions logically!

Emotions and especially Motivations, are most helpful in generating powerful insights. By exploring motivations - what the person wants and doesn't want - can improve their reasoning.

"The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out." Proverbs 20:5

People will go against "the facts" because they are afraid of losing social status or security. What are you afraid of losing? is a question that gets at this.

Or people will take "illogical" risks to achieve something. The insight is in understanding what they believe achieving that will do for them. You can get at this with the question: What would achieving that do for you?

By surfacing underlying motivations, people become clearer about what they really want and don't want, and can make decisions and act more directly towards those ends. Or sometimes, face to face with their motivations, they don't like what they see and choose to act differently.

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Copyright © 2009 Keith E. Webb & CRM

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Dr. Keith E. Webb is a trainer and experienced cross-cultural leadership coach helping organizations, teams, and individuals multiply their cross-cultural impact. Find free articles at http://www.CreativeResultsManagement.com.