For decades, I have lived in the myth that there was a single way of making decisions. While I understood multiple ways of coming to a conclusion, I believed they only worked for others. For a long time, I did not encounter any problems that called my belief into question.
Then, I encountered the first. Soon after, a second wicked problem showed itself. I soon found myself questioning my ability to make any decision. Complexity had hidden the solution. Uncertainty masked a way of dealing with facts and data. Doubts replaced a willingness to live with ambiguity.
I found two threads of learning.
First, in admitting that I could use help, I discovered more in others. Their visions and ideas opened me up to things I had not been able to grasp. Alternative ways of looking at problems provided new ways of responding to life.
Second, in the middle of confusion and chaos, simple answers can emerge. If one acknowledges the questions, one opens one’s mind to exploring perfect outcomes.
I realized that this sounds confusing. When Paul was confronted by a voice that seemed out of a dream, he asked the simple question. “‘Who are you, Master?’
The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down like an animal.’” (Acts 26.15)
The question and the answer eliminated the chaos and confusion that was overwhelming Paul in the moment.
For me, a variation of Paul’s response has proven to be a new way of dealing with the problem. In the state of my confusion, do I know what could happen if I made the perfect decision? I never know what the perfect decision would be or look like, but I can imagine what would be the outcome. Compassion trumps. Mercy wins. Peace surrounds everything. People work in harmony for a greater good.
The particulars of how this plays out in business and my personal life varies, but the pictures are easy to imagine. The only question that remains is what step do I take now that will move me closer to the perfect outcome.
