Decision Making 7 th grade Career Discovery Written by Barbara Mackessy

MSCD7-1: Students will identify and evaluate work ethics and behavior characteristics needed for success in a career and in life. Perform activities that will develop effective communication and decisions making skills. Explore group dynamics and interpersonal skills in order to foster teamwork.

Decision Making How to make effective decisions?

Steps of Decision Making 1. Define the Problem/Want/Need 2. Gather Information about the problem, want or need 3. Evaluate all of the Information (pros & cons) 4. Select Best Choice for you 5. Take Action – Do it 6. Review Your Choice

How to make you own decision What is the Situation Think about it and the choices Evaluate Make a Pros and Cons List Select a Solution Review your choice afterwards

Responsible Decision Making Identify the Problem Identify ways to deal with the problem Think about the possible results of each action Make a responsible decision Evaluate that decision Make changes if needed

Think about possible results Is it unhealthy? Is it safe to me and others? Is it legal? Does it show respect for self and others? Does it follow parent’s guidelines? Would my parents and teachers approve?

How will my decisions change my… Personal life Leisure activities Community atmosphere Learning attitude Family Work roles

Leadership & Decisions Good decision making is an essential skill for career success generally, and effective leadership particularly. If you can learn to make timely and well- considered decisions, then you can often lead your team to spectacular and well-deserved success. However, if you make poor decisions, your team risks failure and your time as a leader will, most likely, be brutally short.

To use Six Thinking Hats to improve the quality of your decision-making, look at the decision 'wearing' each of the thinking hats in turn. Each 'Thinking Hat' is a different style of thinking. These are explained below: White Hat: With this thinking hat, you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them. This is where you analyze past trends from historical data. Red Hat: 'Wearing' the red hat, you look at the decision using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally, and try to understand the intuitive responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning. Black Hat: When using black hat thinking, look at things pessimistically, cautiously and defensively. Try to see why ideas and approaches might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan or course of action. It allows you to eliminate them, alter your approach, or prepare contingency plans to counter problems that arise. Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance, leaving them under-prepared for difficulties. Yellow Hat: The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it, and spot the opportunities that arise from it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult. Green Hat: The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. Blue Hat: The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat thinking, and so on.

Decision Making Tips Just as people are different, so are their styles of decision making. Each person is a result of all of the decisions made in their life to date. Recognizing this, here are some tips to enhance your decision making batting average. Do not make decisions that are not yours to make. When making a decision you are simply choosing from among alternatives. You are not making a choice between right and wrong. Avoid snap decisions. Move fast on the reversible ones and slowly on the non-reversible. Choosing the right alternative at the wrong time is not any better than the wrong alternative at the right time, so make the decision while you still have time. Do your decision making on paper. Make notes and keep your ideas visible so you can consider all the relevant information in making this decision.

Decision Making Do not make decisions that are not yours to make. When making a decision you are simply choosing from among alternatives. You are not making a choice between right and wrong. Avoid snap decisions. Move fast on the reversible ones and slowly on the non-reversible. Choosing the right alternative at the wrong time is not any better than the wrong alternative at the right time, so make the decision while you still have time. Do your decision making on paper. Make notes and keep your ideas visible so you can consider all the relevant information in making this decision.

Decisions Remember that not making a decision is a decision not to take action. To be effective a manager must have the luxury of having the right to be wrong. Trust yourself to make a decision and then to be able to field the consequences appropriately. Don't waste your time making decisions that do not have to be made. Determine alternative courses of action before gathering data. Before implementing what appears to be the best choice, assess the risk by asking "What can I think of that might go wrong with this alternative ?" As part of your decision making process, always consider how the decision is to be implemented. As soon as you are aware that a decision will have to be made on a specific situation, review the facts at hand then set it aside. Let this incubate in your subconscious mind until it is time to finally make the decision. Once the decision has been made, don't look back. Be aware of how it is currently affecting you and focus on your next move. Never regret a decision. It was the right thing to do at the time. Now focus on what is right at this time. Mentally rehearse implementation of your choice and reflect in your imagination what outcomes will result. Once you have made the decision and have started what you are going to do, put the "what if's" aside and do it with commitment.

Decisions Be sure to choose based on what is right, not who is right. Write down the pros and cons of a line of action. It clarifies your thinking and makes for a better decision. Make decisions as you go along. Do not let them accumulate. A backlog of many little decisions could be harder to deal with than one big and complex decision. Consider those affected by your decision. Whenever feasible, get them involved to increase their commitment. Recognize that you cannot know with 100% certainty that your decision is correct because the actions to implement it are to take place in the future. So make it and don't worry about it.

Think about it! You've probably been taught not to stereotype people based on race, religion or sex. But when you make a career or business decision, do you still make decisions based on stereotypes?

Now, what decisions have you had to make this year? Get in a fight or not? Yell at someone or not? Hit someone or not? Fail my class or not? Do my homework or not? Get a demerit or not? Run in the hall or not? Be on time to class or not? Get water or not? Lie to a teacher or not? Go hunting and kill an animal or not? Roll my eyes at people or not? Cuss or not? Sleep in class or not? Be respectful or not? Make straight A’s or not? Do my chores or not? Do my class work or not? Study for my test or not? Have a good attitude or not? Be kind to others or not? Be careful or not? Listening and following instructions or not? Working harder or not? Turning in all of my work or not? Spend or save money Wear a jacket or not? What to eat? When to eat? Bring my lunch or buy a lunch? How to dress? What to wear? When to get up? What time to go to bed at night? To talk in class or not? To bring all supplies to class or not? To run away or not? To follow the rules or not? Where to sit? What to watch on TV? Doing what I’m told or not? Cooking supper to surprise mom or not? To behave in school or not? To pay attention or not? To participate in activities or not? To do my project or not? Have appropriate attitude or not? Read 25 books or not? Take responsibility for my pets or not? Use my agenda every day or not?

Decisions are made daily! Do you use responsible decision making steps? Do you think of the consequences before making your decisions? How can you improve your decision making strategies?