In this age of technology, we’re constantly surrounded by information about what we should do and when we should do it. There are so many conflicting opinions and things to consider about every decision we could make that it’s easy to get sucked into “analysis paralysis” and never make a decision at all. But sometimes, trusting your gut may be the way to go.

So how can you develop your decisiveness and get better results? Here are some tips from the experts.

Use your emotional intelligence. When presented with a high-stakes decision that needs to be made quickly, it’s easy to respond with emotions such as fear, overwhelm and anger. These emotions can cloud your ability to make a good decision, so make a point of reining in your emotions to allow yourself to do more clear-headed thinking. Instead of denying the emotion, which will only make it stronger, acknowledge the emotion and allow it to move through you until you reach a state of calm.

Manage uncertainty. Don’t waste time with dozens of choices, because that will lead to the infamous “analysis paralysis” mentioned earlier. Instead, use your intuition to narrow the number of choices down to two or three, and then study those in more depth. By trusting your intuition, you’ll be more satisfied with your decision in the long run.

Listen to your team members. Their thoughts can help you consider the consequences of various choices. It also makes them part of the process so they too will be more satisfied with your decision.

Act quickly. Business moves fast, so your decisions need to be made quickly, too. ”When decisions need to be made, effective managers gather the facts, analyze the situation, consider alternatives, and decide on the best course of action—and they do it quickly!” say Denny Strigl and Frank Swiatek, authors of Managers, Can You Hear Me Now?: Hard-Hitting Lessons on How to Get Real Results. “They don’t procrastinate, and they certainly don’t stand around wringing their hands.”

Don’t be afraid to be wrong. Much indecisiveness is caused by the fear of making a mistake. However, the ability to make important decisions quickly is the key to achieving success. “Business is a contact sport, and you can’t be afraid to make a mistake,” says John Wittaker, marketing director of information management solutions at Dell Software. “You can always course correct if you need to, but you can’t make up for failing to take action when action is needed.”

It can be difficult to make tough decisions whenever they arise, but it’s worth it in the end. Decisiveness is a needed trait for every aspiring leader, and by doing so, you set an example for your team to follow.

How has decisiveness helped you achieve better results? Please share your thoughts in the comments or tweet @Cydcor with your stories.

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About Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip and Dan Heath

The Heath brothers’ latest book is focused on better decision-making, introduced through a four-step process to ensure we make the right call. Written in an approachable and readable style, Decisive explores how people make decisions, from including a rock star’s decision making system that works to a CEO’s disastrous decision and what they learned from it. Research has revealed that most decisions are made through a variety of biases and irrationalities. From being too confident, to finding information to justify our rationale, our brains are constantly working against us to make the best decision possible. Simply understanding these flaws isn’t the solution; there needs to be a different way to go about it.

Decisive is the Heath brothers’ most powerful and meaningful book yet, offering new strategies and practical tools to make better choices. It’s key to be aware that making the right decision, at the right moment, can make all the difference.

Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders:

Decisive is a valuable tool to making objective decisions that will lead to success. The Heaths do an excellent job of presenting a process that works for making decisions, while proving their system with a wide variety of examples. They begin by discussing how the normal decision-making process proceeds in 4 steps, each of which has a "villain" that can negatively impact it. Along the way, readers learn the answers to critical questions, such as: How can we stop the cycle of agonizing over our decisions? How can we ensure that we don’t overlook precious opportunities to change our course? The Heath brothers explain how to navigate the land mines laid by our irrational brains and improve our chances of good outcomes.

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Our favorite part:

The first part of this book discusses obstacles to good decision-making, and the second part of the book is focused on overcoming them. The book is easy to pick-up, and to understand their system to making better decisions. This is the perfect read for any business professional struggling to make decisions, or knows an important decision is going to be made in the future. The Heaths spend the conclusion of the book detailing a process to make better decisions, which they call the WRAP process: widen your options, reality test your assumptions, attain some distance, and prepare to be wrong. This simple system could be the key to avoiding disastrous decision-making.