The Secret to Better Decisions

One of my favorite Proverbs is: In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Years ago, one of my business partners asked me why I insisted on having people pick apart and question our ideas? He also tended to get frustrated when I disagreed with him and I said, 'If we agree on everything then we probably don't need one of us!'

I find that most people do not like their authority or idea challenged.

Who do you have in your life to help challenge you and your ideas?

I’ve often said that enthusiasm is one of my strengths. When I see an opportunity, I can feel its potential almost immediately. I get excited, I start imagining what could happen, and I want to get moving. Often I have more ideas and new projects than are realistic to get done.

Margo and several of our top leaders have an incredible gift. They think things through logically. They bring me back down to earth. Margo and the team ask the questions that make me stop and think: What do we know? What are we assuming? Have we considered the cost? What are you trying to accomplish?

It’s a great partnership. And over the years, it has taught me something about making decisions. We make better decisions when we do it together.

Feelings have a purpose

How we feel matters. Enthusiasm helps us recognise possibilities. Compassion alerts us to someone else’s needs. Even unease can tell us that something deserves a closer look.

I wouldn’t want to lose that part of myself. Some of the best things I’ve done began with a strong feeling that something was possible.

But a feeling is a starting point. It doesn’t give us the full picture.

Feelings vs Thoughts

Once the excitement settles, we need to ask what the evidence says. Is the opportunity as good as it first appears? What might we be overlooking? What would have to be true for this to work?

Those questions can feel frustrating when you’re ready to charge ahead. I know! But someone who asks them isn’t necessarily trying to dampen your enthusiasm. They may be helping you turn a promising idea into a sound decision. Better to challenge the process now rather than later and you wish you had asked those questions and thoroughly thought it through.

Thinking also gives us space to check our principles. A decision may look exciting and profitable, but does it fit our values? Is it fair to the people affected? Will we still be comfortable with it a year from now? Is it a win-win situation for everyone involved?

The strength is in the balance

Feeling without thinking can lead us to make promises we haven’t thought through. Thinking without feeling can leave us analysing an opportunity until it passes us by.

The aim isn’t to become a different person. It’s to make room for both. I still bring the enthusiasm. Margo and the team still asks the grounding questions. Together, we often reach a better decision than either of us would have made alone.

That, to me, is a sign of maturity: letting your feelings show you what matters, your thinking show you what’s true, and your principles guide what you do next.