Be an Effective Decider

With so many decisions to make, how do you manage to overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed, and to resist becoming paralyzed by what is called Decide-o-Phobia?
Here are some practical tips for making decisions easier:

Empower your Instructional Coaches.
Your Instructional Coaches have brains; let them provide input. Do you really need to be the one to decide which observational tool to use, when you have a coach perfectly capable of doing research and making suggestions for the team?
Do not just throw decisions at your Instructional Coaches, provide guidelines (“Do you want the easiest tool to use or the most reliable?”), let them come to you for input, and then never second-guess or criticize them.

Set a deadline.
To avoid procrastination, set a drop-dead date for making a choice. Allow yourself enough time to do the necessary fact-finding, but make a decision by your deadline, regardless of how much research you have done.

Establish a purpose for meetings.
Successful Liaisons drastically reduce the time it takes to make choices by declaring that some NESS meetings are for discussion and others for decisions. At decision-making meetings, choices must be made. Identify the purpose for the meetings - information or collaboration.

Give yourself fewer options.
Successful Liaisons narrow choices down to two or three at the most. Leaders are often overwhelmed by too many alternatives. Here is a method to use when trying to decide something with another person: One of you lists three options -- and only three -- and the other can either choose one or veto one.

Get the right person for the job.
It is easier to make decisions if you find coaches you trust. Think about selecting a coach with the proper attitude and support skills. Do not second guess! Set a date to assess the selections with your administrator at an appropriate time, and once you have made a decision, support your Coaches.

Source: Adapted by Randall Deich from an article by Rhonda Abrams