Last week I mentioned that the www.infocusnet.org website is being redesigned. We are in the last stages and the site will be up and running this month. I’m excited to have a fresh look and hope you have a chance to check it out when it goes live!
Every once in a while we are presented with excellent options forcing a difficult choice. Some decisions have significant ramifications while others don’t compare. Let me illustrate.
I have two teenagers. Joel is a senior approaching graduation and Zoe is a junior. For the last several years we have been discussing what each envisions for their future beyond high school. In November 2015 Joel was accepted by school “X” and last week was accepted by school “Y”.
I won’t get into the granular issues but Joel is using a simple decision-making tree exercise along with on-campus visits to make his decision. That exercise is helping him look at the facts, prioritize his issues and make an informed decision.
Not all problems are created equal. However, the skills required for problem-solving & decision-making are consistent. See if the
Problem Solving & Decision Making Profile help you as you coach leaders in this vital area.
This instrument provides a highly structured process through which to look at the whole topic of problem solving. The subject is therefore broken down into individual competency categories as follows:
- Critical thinking
- Data gathering and processing
- Tool selection methods
- Alternative weighing ability
- Lateral conceptualization
- Perception and judgement
- Risk assessment skills
Participants plot their scores onto a histogram chart for each category. This quickly shows where efforts to improve should be concentrated in the future. Detailed interpretation notes are included for each category, including improvement actions for low scorers.