This
blog is to review my decision making style and identify the opposite of those
styles. My decisions tend to be very routine type of process, but there are
times when decisions are more complex requiring input form other sources. My decisions are very role-based and can
change about as quickly as the decision was made.
My
routine decision-making is centered around when I do my grocery shopping, how
and when laundry is done, to the time allotted for homework is completed. My
week is detailed planned around my work, school, and volunteer schedule. I am
so routine that my alarm goes off at the same time everyday, and I know exactly
how many minutes I have to get ready for work, which is very important
considering the Uncontrollable Atlanta Georgia traffic can disrupt your
plan. Being a planner I am very good at
making decisions based on time, and continuous improvements after continuous
evaluation of improving on time.
My
counter to being routine in my decision-making is that I am not good at
developing meal plans for the family, or making rash last minute decisions when
a decision that I thought was routine has changed. I am extremely well at long-range planning
but find difficulty in dealing with last minute change. When you have a family
of six grown adults all on different work-school schedules, my ability to be
routine is challenged creating stress and an urgency to get things back on
schedule. When this occurs I am more aggressive and tend to put the family back
into check and require them to be on a schedule. A counter to that is being a
grandparent, as I am learning that its okay to not be routine and
decision-making seems to be off the cuff or whatever works at the time.
As a
student, I think decision-making is routine as the courses and expectations are
outlined, leaving less of a room to decide when things need to be completed.
However the response to the assignment can be complex from deciding what
experiences to share such is it too personal and relevant to the topic, or if
you allow yourself to be a subject of conversation that could derive additional
conversation with your team. As a
student, I think decision-making is shared between routine and complex. I would rather have assignments in on time
and have a few issues, then late with issues. It’s a decision you have to
balance with your own self to determine the comfort level.
As a
wife, decision-making can be more complex. The complexity can relate to
finances, family, or my favorite time we can spend away for the monotonous life
of a schedule. Our goal has always been to spend at least one night a week out
to dinner or watch a movie at home. Key is it’s a decision to separate
ourselves from outside influences, and remember why we were a couple from the
beginning. We have always done this, therefore its routine based on a complex
busy lifestyle. We both travel for work, believe education is a high priority,
and volunteering with friends to hosting many social events is what we like to
do, but we always make time for ourselves.
As a
work leader decisions are both routine and complex, depending on the scenario.
I have tasks that are routine and you can count on the fact they are on my
electronic calendar every week. What I
don’t like about routine tasks is they become mundane and boring, and after
time they tend to lose their original focus. You can tell the focus
depreciation by the lack of attendance over time. However, the meetings are in
place to ensure the opportunity to communicate is still available.
My
more complex decisions occur when I am applying for a new job, as an example. This is the one
type of decision making that gets the heart racing. Our interview process is
very complex, designed by the company with a format that is very structured or
routine. Being an organized person I plan for the interviews, but do not do
well on them at all due to the fact my trouble with identifying what “I” did to
solve problems is often countered with the team concept of “we”.
Because I struggle with this format, I tend to not interview for new
jobs as it is very overwhelming.
Another
complex type of events at work occurs when the team has to develop a corrective
action to a problem. Its seems very routine when you can invite all the
stake-holders to the review meeting, assuming it will be an easy thing to do.
The decision-making becomes complex when there are various opinions from the
stakeholders on how to fix problem. It seems like we go into circles and waste
time.
In
conclusion, I have learned that my decision-making is very routine when my choices
are within my sphere of control. When you add more people to the
process of making a decision, the more complex this could become. I prefer to
keep myself organized where decisions are easy and fast. I would have to admit
there times when I make a decision that I thought was easy to do, and then had
to change that decision because it was not a very good one. Decisions are easy when you have experience
and knowledge about the decision. I also know its okay to ask others prior to
making a decision, especially when a decision affects other people.