How well you cope with and react to improving your career is driven primarily by the quality of your ability to make decisions. Whether a job change is forced on to you by a layoff or the nagging dissatisfaction of being stuck in a bad line of work finally crystallizes into the realization that change is needed, how well you can make an important decision will determine how satisfying an eventual outcome of change will be.
It seems that some people have the gift of decisiveness whereas other people flounder, allowing themselves to be bounced around by circumstances. Even though you might be closer to the latter, it is still possible to examine the nature of decision making and how you approach this mental exercise. For all of us, decision making is made up of five sequential steps:
1. Identifying the problem
2. Knowing the cause of the problem
3. Developing possible alternatives
4. Prioritizing those alternatives
5. Appraising likely outcomes
When it comes to making decisions regarding your career this is often done with much uncertainty, which can make following these steps, particularly #5, harder. Nevertheless, it can still be helpful to be systematic when confronting a big career change challenge. Are you finding that one or more points in this sequence are hanging you up? Why do you think this is so?
Carrying on with making lists of five, career development researchers have identified five decision-making styles:
a. The Rational style, which is structured and logical
b. The Intuitive style, which relies on gut feelings and impressions
c. The Dependent style, which needs the support of others
d. The Avoidant style, which puts off decision making for as long as possible
e. The Spontaneous style, which is quick and impulsive
Now, if you listen to your inner parent / teacher speaking you’re probably hearing the message that having a Rational style is best. It is hard to argue with a viewpoint that says careful examination of facts and likely consequences should be applied in making a decision like career direction. The Intuitive style, on the other hand, sounds like your inner artist talking, encouraging you to go with the natural flow. But the other three appear to be more like styles of indecision. If you see yourself as reflecting one of these styles, then I would recommend a re-examination of how you make or do not make decisions.
When I look at the Intuitive style in juxtaposition to the Rational style I’m reminded of the right brain / left brain construct, which implies a balanced cognitive approach. A combination of Rational and Intuitive styles suggests a greater individual awareness of self and environment, which can lead to better career choices.
Knowing and feeling through a situation and self-encouraging an interplay of thought and emotion may allow you to identify and evaluate plausible alternatives and outcomes as you process choice. Since we now know that significant personal career decisions will occur developmentally across the lifespan, then working to refine, and when necessary, practice a workable decision-making style will result in outcomes that make life more satisfying. And isn’t that the point of a career?
