Making our decisions
For trivial matters, it’s efficient and perhaps useful to simply follow a crowd or whatever leader we’ve chosen.
But when it matters, we need to make (and own) our own decisions.
To do that effectively, consider:
- Do the reading
- Show your work
- Avoid voices with a long track record of being wrong
- Ask, “and then what happens?”
- Ask, “how would that work?”
- Ignore people who make a living saying stupid things to attract attention
- Follow a path you’re eager and happy to take responsibility for
- Be prepared to change your mind when new data arrives
- Think hard about who profits and why they want you to believe something
- Consider the long-term impact of short-term thinking
None of these steps are easy. This could be why we so often outsource them to someone else.