Tips for Rapid Unconscious Decision-Making

As a business leader or #founder which is the most useful for making decisions, intuition or data? Qualitative ‘gut’ feel or quantitative ‘data-driven’ clarity? The Ammophila wasp deposits her eggs in paralyzed victims - beetles, spiders, caterpillars - to ensure the survival of her species. In selecting the right nerve to paralyze (on the body of the victim), even as there are varying shapes and sizes of host, the Ammophila wasp has to be perfectly precise to avoid killing the victim. This sting happens with incredible speed. Incredible speed. Instantaneous. No calculation. All intuition. Intuition from doing it over and over and over and over again. And that’s where the data comes from. Repetition. I’ve lived the last five years, and several years before that at my previous company, making dozens of critical decisions daily. The reps of intuition lead to a data set that feeds the intuition. What #product updates should we prioritize? Should I hire this designer? Should I work to reverse the loss of this customer account or let it go? What should I highlight in this pitch to this #vc? I use 'gut'/qualitative info for exploration and discovery. And use data/quantitative data to measure and test. The more decisions you make based on gut, the more feedback you get (in the form of outputs or outcomes). The more feedback you get, the more data feeds into your intuition for your next decision. The accumulation of #data through intuitive #decisionmaking to further feed intuition eventually leads to mastery. And isn’t mastery what we all aspire to? Lesson? Be more like the Ammophila wasp. How do you make decisions?

Fighter pilots don’t have hours to make decisions (and neither do you) In combat situations, fighter pilots only have a few minutes to make decisions. They don’t have the luxury of overthinking and overanalyzing. They need to make good decisions. And Fast. So do you. Your role will often require you to think on your feet and make decisions quickly. Teams, investors, and clients depend on you to do so. But… Making quick decisions when you have ADHD can feel overwhelming. It can even lead to more indecisiveness. This is why the military’s methods for decision making is ideal for ADHD founders. One of these methods is called the OODA loop - a concept designed by U.S. Air Force Colonel John Boyd. It was designed to function as the foundation of rational thinking amid chaos. The OODA loop consists of four steps: 1: Observe Observe the situation to build the most accurate and comprehensive picture of it possible. - Collect information from your environment. - Look for changes or anomalies in the situation. - Pay attention to any threats or opportunities. 2: Orient Orient yourself to recognize any barriers that might interfere with the other parts. - Analyze + interpret the information you've gathered. - Use your experience, knowledge, and intuition. - Consider different perspectives and outcomes. 3: Decide Observing and Orienting sets the groundwork for making an informed decision. - Use conclusions to evaluate options - Then go ahead and make a decision. - Choose a course of action that is appropriate. - Consider the risks and benefits of each option. 4: Act Once you make up your mind, it’s time to take action. By taking action, you test your decision out. It provides you with information on whether it was a good decision or not. And what you need to change moving forward. - Implement your decision and take action. - Observe the results of your actions. - Update your mental model based on feedback from the situation. The OODA loop is in fact a LOOP. A continuous process that requires you to go back, observe, and adapt. The more you adjust, the better you become at decision-making. Are you going to try this method to help with decision-making this week?

Leaders don’t have the luxury of slow decision making. And intuition, or “using your gut”, is often dismissed as unreliable — but there’s a deep neurological basis for it. When you approach a decision intuitively, your brain works in tandem with your gut to quickly assess your memories, past learnings, personal needs, and preferences and then makes the wisest decision given the context. The author offers strategies to learn how to leverage your intuition as a helpful decision-making tool in your career: 1) discern gut feeling from fear, 2) start by making minor decisions, 3) test drive your choices, 4) try the snap judgment test, and 5) fall back on your values.