The Role of Decision Criteria

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

                                                                                                                        Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every person makes countless decisions in a lifetime, ranging from the trivial: “What shall I have for lunch today?” to the timeless: “How do I want to be remembered by future generations?”

For all of us who struggle with decisions, there are two-sided coins that can resolve the matter, but only if the decision choices happen to be binary.  There are electronic gadgets one can buy at the Mall that provide multiple humorous decision choices, based on some random internal algorithm.

But for important life decisions, there can be no substitute for relevant decision criteria.

Merriam-Webster defines a criterion as “a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based.”

The term “decision criterion” entered common parlance a long time ago, but neither Merriam-Webster nor Google provide a general definition of the term.  Consider this definition:  A decision criterion is “a standard, or set of standards, on which individual and organizational decisions may be based.”

Based on that definition, we might ask where such standards for any given person might be found.  Clearly, those standards would need to be aligned with the personal values held by that individual.

We learn from the work of Stephen R. Covey that values are “self-chosen beliefs and ideals that are internal, subjective, and based on how we see the world.”  Being personal, ones’ values are obviously influenced by parents, family and teachers, but also by a variety of other life experiences.  

 
We also learn from Covey’s work that, unless our values are aligned with principles, defined as natural laws or fundamental truths, we risk “collisions with reality.”  Figuratively speaking, personal values are like ships on the ocean having the freedom to choose their speed and direction.  But those choices are limited and fraught with dire consequences if, for example, those ships were to collide with a lighthouse.

We therefore conclude that appropriate standards for individual or organizational decision criteria will be those that align with personal values—but do not conflict with natural laws or fundamental truths.

Other than that, the choice of decision criteria is largely arbitrary—except if one seeks proven decision criteria that will lead reliably to the achievement of major goals.  In that case, appropriate guidance regarding that selection can only come from experience, sometimes known as the “wisdom of the ages.”

In the course of my 42-year career in higher education, I can recall only two sets of decision criteria that, in my personal experience, always led reliably to the achievement of major goals.  I hereby recommend both sets of decision criteria to the readers of this blog post without reservation.

Robert Shirley’s Model of Strategic Planning

Robert Shirley is credited with having adapted classic corporate (i.e., for-profit) strategic planning to colleges, universities, symphonies and other non-profit organizations that don’t possess a well-defined “bottom line” in the same way that for-profit organizations do.

I have often seen Shirley’s model applied successfully to organizations, but I have not yet seen it applied to individuals. But In thinking about it recently, I concluded that the Shirley strategic planning model can also be successfully applied to individuals wishing to achieve major goals, for the following reasons.

Shirley’s model proposes that the best strategic decisions must be made on the basis of three things: external opportunities and threats, internal strengths and weaknesses, and personal values.  Clearly all organizations possess those three attributes and, just as clearly, individuals possess all three as well.

Shirley’s model also poses six questions that must be answered in a self-consistent way to establish strategic direction: Mission, Clientele, Goals and Objectives, Program/Service Mix, Geographic Service Area, and Comparative Advantage.  All six questions apply to individuals as well as to organizations.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits were initially developed for individuals, but were subsequently adapted and shown to apply successfully to organizations as well.

The seven habits are: 1) Be Proactive; 2) Begin with the end in mind; 3) Put first things first; 4) Think win-win; 5) Seek first to understand, then to be understood; 6) Synergize; and 7) Sharpen the saw.

Decision Anxiety

Decisions always involve choosing one path over another. The anxiety we often feel before making a major commitment or decision is born of the certain knowledge that to decide on one path is to forsake all others.  Early decisions made, but later regretted, during a long life’s journey may yet be overcome if time allows. But all decisions share at least some possibility of determining our ultimate destiny.