It may be too dramatic to say that managers live and die by their decisions; however, a record of good decisions can make a career, whereas a string of poor decisions can mean being side lined.

So what is a good batting average for a decision maker? You’ll be surprised to learn that according to Robert Townsend it is a measly 33% (see Theory 71). He contends that a good manager gets 33% of decisions right, 33% wrong and that in the remaining third of cases whatever you decide it will not alter the actual outcome.

Understanding and accepting that even the best managers don’t always make the right decisions is empowering. It gives you permission to make the wrong decisions and to avoid beating yourself up because you are human and unable to forecast the future!

Over the years I’ve seen many good managers lose their confidence because of a couple of bad decisions. The result has been that they have become ever more cautious, demanding vast amounts of information and analysis before making even a routine decision. Delays caused by their over-the-top demands are often more costly than making the wrong decision early and then correcting when it’s obviously not working.

The theories in this section will provide you with ideas on how to develop your own approach to decision making. What it can’t do is turn you from a risk adverse wimp living in a cupboard into a dynamic risk taker that makes an SAS trooper look boring, AND NOR SHOULD IT. The vast majority of organisations do not want risk junkies making their decisions. But neither do they want hyper cautious risk avoiders. To discover what they want examine your organisation. Identify who has a reputation for good decision making. Analyse how they go about making decisions and the level of risk they are willing to live with, and use that as your benchmark. If you think it’s difficult getting such information you are wrong. Most managers will be only too happy to tell you about their approach to decision making. All people have an ego and are pleased when people show an interest in what they do and how they do it.