Is It Hard To Be A Good Decision Maker?

Not all employees are equipped with the right decision making skills. But this is one skill which is absolutely necessary across all functional levels in an organisation. Right from the employee at a fresher level to someone at middle/senior-level, all are expected to demonstrate exceptional decision making skills throughout all stages. Experts believe that women professionals are capable of handling multiple tasks and also be a better judge of things and take calculative decisions, in a much more efficient way as compared to their male counterparts. TimesJobs.com in conversation with Simran Oberoi, senior knowledge consultant, SHRM, finds out some of the top decision making skills which are common among women professionals: Balanced approach: Women tend to use a more balanced approach when making decisions, wherein they assess the situation from the practical as well as emotional standpoint. This has huge advantages since it allows one to be comprehensive, unbiased and more employee-friendly when it comes to managing teams at the workplace. Ability to focus on the bigger picture: Most women usually focus on the bigger picture and long-term when making the decisions, as against short-term business gains. This helps them weigh the pros and cons of each decision with the future in mind, rather than the past or present landscape. This in turn also gives them the courage to take people decisions which are far-sighted. Ability to connect priorities: When making decision, women professionals are able to connect various priorities from across the organisation so that the actual impact of the decision can be assessed at the macro level rather than the micro-level. In this manner, they are able to ensure that the various functions, departments, segments or units are represented in the decision itself. Ability to decide when to “decide”: Women bring forth a unique quality which is critical in the corporate scenario today, which is of being able to decide or comprehend when to take a decision. This is absolutely imperative for the result of the decision to be viable and positive, since the timing is as important as the actual decision and the individual taking the decision. Collaborative yet assertive: Women tend to make decision making a collaborative and participative exercise in terms of the process of arriving at the same, but when it comes to taking accountability for the same in terms of its impact, they take the onus of taking the final decision based on the inputs. Communication of the decision: Women possess better skills in terms of communicating a decision no matter how difficult it might be. They are able to share it entirely along with its implications, in a far more approachable manner than men. -TOI