Chapter 8: Discussion and Questions

[Scott]

Discussion starts here.

[Scott]

(sound of chapter 8 weeping in loneliness)

[Ravi]

I've often asked myself, why do I continue to make poor decisions ( not just on projects but also relationships )? I noticed a pattern when reviewing my journal and quickly realized that my emotions clouded my judgement and decision making ability. As an engineer, I use to think that I had the same logic ability as Spock when making decisions. But, I was wrong. I use to try to remove my emotions from decisions but learned that it wasn't possible. Now, I try to manage my emotions when making decisions. When I'm in fight or flight mode, I've trained myself not to make decisions and do something else. I go to the gym, run, listen to music, etc..., and return to the decision later. I think you really need to have a better understanding of your emotional state, your team's emotional state when making decisions. This is a difficult topic to discuss especially with engineers.

These are some techniques that I've used to help keep my emotions from clouding my decision making skills.

1. I tap into the wisdom of people that I trust when making complex decisions. I don't try to do it alone.
2. Use a framework for decision making. The pros and cons list Scott mentioned is simple and lightweight which should be easy to do.
3. I try to change perspective. I would look at the decision from my mentor's perspective or someone that has excellent decision making ability.

Scott said the following two things are required to improve decision making skills:

"1. You have to make decisions that challenge you and force you to work hard."
"2. You have to pay attention to the outcomes of your decisions and evaluate, with the help of others involved, if you could have done anything differently to improve the quality of the outcome."

I would add a third item to the list - Learn to manage your emotions when making decisions.

Scott, my only suggestion for this chapter is for you to include a section on emotional intelligence and the impact on decisions. How do you talk to analytical, mathematical minds about this topic?

[Scott]

Learning to manage emotions is so often overlooked - thanks for mentioning it.

It seems many people are in denial about their emotions, which makes them far more dangerous as decision makers. Having some outlet for expressing those feelings, or even just venting pent up ones, goes a long way to helping people be better decision makers. It's not always a problem of intellect - it's often something much simpler but far less acceptable (sorting your feelings out).

There are different kinds of trust to have with people, and one is "can I express my feelings without feeling judged by them"? If you have no where to express and then sort out your feelings you'll always be a slave to them.

[Shiran]

I love the notion of zone of indifference. It's a great shorthand for classifying decisions as either simple or complex.

Another observation is that there's a political/strategic angle to decision making. Peers, regardless of position (e.g., directs, supervisors, executives) always adjust their opinion of you based on decisions you make. This adds a certain level of gravitas (and stress) to decision making. I'm experiencing this right now as I'm directing the hiring of new developers, and feel that the kind of hires we get (i.e., I decide on) won't only affect my team's effectiveness, but how I'm perceived in the company.

[Shiran]

Are there any recommendations for keeping track of decisions so as to inform future decision making? And should these notes be shared or kept private?

[Ravi]

Shiran: It depends.

During my projects, when we make critical design decisions, increase or decrease scope, we write down the rational behind our decision. I found out that people tend to forget the context of why these decisions were made. This becomes very helpful when writing the retrospective on the project. I usually keep politically sensitive material private during projects.

By the way, we are trying to run a weekly retrospective for "Making Things Happen", you can find the thread here - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/.... It would be nice to get some feedback from you.

[Scott]

Shiran: much like specs, every team is different and the way you track anything needs to fit the culture of the team.

At minimum you should keep decision notes for yourself - a short summary of important meetings or decisions. If you like make it public so other people can see it and comment on it. If more people participate do something more formal, if they don't, then use what you like.