We make decisions all day on things like what to wear, what to eat, where to go for dinner. Sounds simple enough, right? But what about when you have to make a very important decision fast? How do you make better decisions on the spot?

 

You may have access to data and plenty of options, but when crunch time rolls around - you seize up. You can’t make that firm commitment to a decision. Sound familiar? This is because making a decision on the spot is very different.

 

Many successful business people have issues with quick decisions. To make decisions on the spot, you need confidence, the right mindset, and impeccable persuasion skills. In fact, a typical Fortune 500 company wastes more than 500,000 days a year on ineffective decision making.

 

Mike Whitaker, author of The Decision Makeover: An Intentional Approach To Living The Life You Want says that most of us learn what not to do first. But, successful people approach decision making in a specific, methodological way. 

 

Successful people approach decisions in a specific, methodological way. How? Well, they create a strategy.

 

Focus on Your Goal 

 

No matter what field or business you’re in, knowing how to make better decisions on the spot is beneficial. Whether you’re managing others or leading a country, the ability to make decisions on the spot is key. 

 

But the real problem with on the spot decisions is that they are quick and often impulsive. As a matter of fact - they have to be impulsive. But the trick is to pick the right impulse to follow.

 

If you are a company leader or a manager whose decisions are borne of emotions - making decisions on the spot can prove detrimental. Imagine you’re facing a critical decision and you act on the emotion of anger against your competitors?

 

Acting in anger or spite in the spur of the moment is bound to lead to missteps and more issues down the line.

 

So, how do you make a better decision on the spot? There is one sure way to do it; focusing on your goal. Be clear on what you’re trying to achieve and focus on finding the best path to lead you there.

 

 

This requires setting clear goals in advance. If you know your main mission, you will be able to focus on it at any given moment. Make sure to have a well-defined, specific, and measurable goal in mind.

 

Think of this as a sports analogy - if your main intention is to win the game, that is your goal. Every second of the game, no matter what happens on the court, you will have that goal in front of you. It will determine your every move.

 

When you focus on the goal, you will know how to make a better decision on the spot. Focusing on the goal gives you the knowledge and clarity you need to make a rational, rather than emotional, decision.

 

Focus on the Present

 

Now, focusing on your goal doesn’t mean looking too far into the future. What it means is actually keeping it in mind while focusing on the present. What do we mean by that?

 

If you find yourself in a business meeting where you have to make a decision on the spot, you must keep your goal in mind. You will think about what you want to get out of that meeting first. But the truth is, you might not get to your goal right away. Most of the time, it takes a few steps to get to it.

 

This is why it’s important to focus on the present. Looking for urgent solutions can be overwhelming if you focus on the big picture. If you think about the big picture, then you risk getting stuck in fears about the future.

 

Instead, ground yourself in that specific moment and situation. Take a second to breathe and think about everyone involved in the situation. Take a step back and try to look at everything from a distance.

 

Instead of focusing on the big picture, think about how the decision you make now can make your next move easier.

 

Stick With Your Gut

 

If you stay focused in difficult situations, you will develop a strong intuition.

 

Intuition is difficult to define because it is a feeling rather than a thought. It’s that voice you hear when you “just know.” Without much prior knowledge about the situation you’re in, you just know the right thing to do. Perhaps you remember a situation like that?

 

Well, just like with any skill, intuition is something you practice. The longer you are in the business, the stronger your gut feeling. Sticking to your gut is the key to learning how to make better decisions on the spot.

 

Dan Lok always makes decisions fast. He is able to do this because he worked on developing and strengthening his intuition.

 

So, when you have to make a decision on the spot, take a moment to see what ideas come to your mind. Is it a thought you've got or a feeling? If it’s a feeling based on a sense of deep knowing, then you are hearing your intuition.

 

But there is one trick to it all - your gut feeling or intuition should only come from confidence.

 

Make a Decision With Confidence

 

If we had to pick one thing to share with you about how to make better decisions on the spot, it would be confidence. Why? Because you need the confidence to make the right choice fast and ensure that others “buy” it, too.

 

So, learning how to make better decisions on the spot has a lot to do with boosting your confidence. Imagine a leader who needs to make a wartime decision on the spot. Do you think it would work if they tried to send troops to war without confidence?

 

The troops would likely be reluctant to follow the orders of a leader without confidence. Their morale would be lower. And their chances to win the war would be significantly lower.

 

But if the leader is confident - that confidence will translate into good decisions. Good decisions and confidence from the leader lead to a strong and powerful army.

 

The same is true in business. If you make a decision on the spot with confidence, your team will trust you more. They will also believe in your decision and do all in their power to make it work for the best.

 

If you show confidence when making a decision on the spot, your clients and partners will respect you and trust you more. Your competitors will also take you more seriously.

 

Embrace Failure As an Opportunity

 

If you want to make better decisions on the spot, you have to be comfortable with failure. This is also where your confidence becomes unshakeable.

 

Most people believe that their failures are based on bad decisions they've made. As a result, the thought of making a decision on the spot for them is terrifying. You might be thinking - what if this decision destroys my career and my business?

 

 

Fear of failure leads to overthinking.  This overthinking is paralyzing in situations that demand quick decisions. Paralysis destroys confidence and image, and it can lead you to the wrong decision. You can never make good decisions out of a place of fear.

 

So to make better decisions on the spot, you must learn to embrace the possibility of failure. Failure is a part of life. It is how we learn, grow, and become better the next time around.

 

When you have to make a decision on the spot, remember that there are no failures - only lessons. Push through the fear and put your focus on things that you can control.

 

Click to Tweet: “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end.”

 

Master The Art of Persuasion

 

Now, let's say you've mastered your goal-oriented mindset, intuition, and confidence. If you have all these steps in order, you will come up with a decision. But the next step is determining its ultimate success - your ability to persuade others.

 

If you have the ability to persuade people, the decisions you make on the spot will always be right.

 

"What is persuasion?" you may wonder. Or how is it different from manipulation? Persuasion applied ethically is the art of getting people to do things that are in their own best interest that also benefit you. So, if you're making the decisions on the spot, ensure that people trust your decision to benefit them.

 

People often make the mistake of focusing too much on the decision and not enough on how they deliver it to others. Indeed, far too many decisions go wrong because the information is presented ineffectively.

 

So, if you want to know how to make better decisions on the spot, you have to master your persuasion skills. You need to know how to tailor your delivery based on who’s listening.

 

Successful business people tailor their presentations to the people they are trying to persuade. They use the right buzzwords to deliver the appropriate information.

 

After all, Bill Gates does not make decisions in the same way that Warren Buffet does. Knowing that can make a huge difference.

 

This is why Dan Lok has created a digital course called Persuasion Secrets. Dan Lok and his copywriters will teach you all you need to know about persuasion secrets. You will learn how to do it through writing (copywriting), selling (closing those high ticket sales), and public speaking.

 

No one makes perfect decisions 100% of the time, and that’s OK. The important thing is taking action. If you want to take action and learn how to make better decisions on the spot, then click here to get your Persuasion Secrets now.