Have you ever had to make a very difficult decision? You weigh up the pros and cons only to discover that the answer you’re looking for is still not obvious. Of course, we all have!
You may be facing decisions like changing jobs, investing heavily in a creative idea, committing a significant amount of time to something, choosing between two really good and healthy options or people, the list goes on and on.
Regardless of the complexity or significance of a decision, the traditional method of calculating the benefits and detriments of a particular choice and going with the greater list isn’t as helpful as we need it to be. Sometimes one pro can outweigh a large list of cons, just as one con can outrank all of the reasons for something.
An effective way to navigate difficult decisions is to develop a decision matrix.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines matrix as something within or from which something else originates, develops, or takes form.
The good news is you don’t need to take the red pill, dress in a leather trench coat and go to war. Instead you need to work out what is important to you, and from that create a set of questions you can then filter a difficult decision through.
Recently I was approached to take on a significant role in the community, in which Village Church (which I pastor) exists. Let me show you how I developed and used a decision-making matrix to assist me in deciding what to do.
I value a number of things dearly, which are all important factors in my decisions making, shaping my decision matrix:
Time: Will this be a good use of my time in relation to my wife, my family and my other commitments?
Community: Will me doing this role really help the community, in a way only doing this role can?
Skills: Am I able to contribute to this role significantly, based on the skills I have?
Organisational: Is it truly beneficial for the organisation if I take this role on?
Humility: Can I sincerely say that I don’t want to do this because it makes me look good or be more respected?
Service: Is this a true act of service, which I am doing with no desire to benefit from?
Fit: Does this opportunity fit with who I am, what my family values and what I feel I should be doing?
Purpose: Does this affirm and further the call God has put on me to do what I do?*
*You may ask that last question differently, but for me that one is the most important. To a degree it can trump all the rest.
Most people just use question 1 as a determining framework, and the result is usually the same “I’m too busy”. The problem is, anyone who breathes feels too busy, rendering this question by itself unhelpful. Time is a matter of priority. My priority occupies my time. Time is just what I spend fulfilling my priorities.
For decisions different to the one I had to make, there are other questions that may be helpful to build into your decision matrix. For example:
Money: Can we sustain the cost of this?
Resources: Is this important enough to us that we will commit ongoing resources to its success?
Integrity: Will this opportunity sharpen my character?
Timing: Is this the right time to engage in this opportunity?
Culture: Is this opportunity congruent with who we are and what we are about?
Opportunity: Will this opportunity likely lead to other opportunities I’d like to pursue?
There is no limit to the questions you may find helpful in assisting you. Developing a decision-making matrix of key questions you need to explore significant decisions will help you to think through the complexity.
I like each of my questions to be answered in the affirmative before I proceed with a decision. You may want to choose a different strategy, as each question may have a different weight of importance to you. The process isn’t meant to be scientific. It’s meant to equip you to think more thoroughly about complex decisions.
Are there other important questions that are part of your decision matrix that would benefit us to know about?
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