Good judgment is a vital skill, often overlooked yet crucial in decision-making. It's a blend of experience, knowledge, and intuition. Let's delve into the elements that constitute good judgment, and how they can be cultivated for better decision-making.

Detachment: Identify, and Then Challenge, Biases

As you process information and draw on the diversity of your own and other people’s knowledge, it’s critical that you understand and address your own biases

Trust: Seek Diversity, Not Validation

Leaders can draw on the skills and experiences of others as well as their own when they approach a decision.

To improve:

In assessing a proposal, make sure that the experience of the people recommending the investment closely matches its context

Delivery: Factor in the Feasibility of Execution

You can make all the right strategic choices but still end up losing out if you don’t exercise judgment in how and by whom those choices will be executed

Improve

Cultivate sources of trusted advice: people who will tell you what you need to know rather than what you want to hear

Success Is Not a Reliable Proxy for Judgment

If the experience is narrowly based, familiarity can be dangerous

The Solution

Judgment-the ability to combine personal qualities with relevant knowledge and experience to form opinions and make decisions-is “the core of exemplary leadership”

Conclusion

Leaders need many qualities, but underlying them all is good judgment

To improve:

Active listening

To improve:

Understand, clarify, and accept different viewpoints

Options: Question the Solution Set Offered

In making a decision, a leader is often expected to choose between at least two options, formulated and presented by their advocates

To improve:

Assess how well you draw on your own experience to make decisions

Experience: Make It Relevant but Not Narrow

Experience gives context and helps us identify potential solutions and anticipate challenges.

When You Have to Move Fast

When you have to move fast, good judgment requires reflection before action

To improve:

Press for clarification on poorly presented information

Learning: Listen Attentively, Read Critically

Good judgment requires that you turn knowledge into understanding

Source

Get in