Accept the fact that you will never have all the information to make a decision
In life, we are often faced with decisions that have far-reaching consequences. We may want to have all the information before making a decision, but the truth is that we will never have all the information. There will always be some uncertainty. This is certainly true in hiring – there’s no way for you to know everything about a potential candidate; or for a candidate to know everything about a potential job or employer.
The important thing is to not let the uncertainty paralyze us!
We need to make decisions based on the information we have, even if it is not perfect. We also need to be willing to change our minds if we learn new information.
Decision-Making Tips
Here are some tips for making decisions when you don’t have all the information:
- Gather as much information as you can within reason – do the due diligence but don’t just keep pushing for more data. This is especially true when time is of the essence. You can easily “not decide” your way into a default decision.
- Talk to other people who have more experience in the area you are making a decision about.
- Consider all the possible outcomes of your decision. Even the ones you don’t like.
- Make the decision that you feel most comfortable with, even if it is not perfect. But make it and act on it and get going. As they used to say at IBM “No decision is a decision!” – realize that just not making a decision is, really, making the decision to continue doing what you’re doing.
- Be willing to change your mind if you learn new information.
Making decisions is never easy, but it is important to remember that we will never have all the information. We need to be willing to take risks and make decisions based on the information we have.
