Faster Decisions Using The 70% Rule and Filter Sets

A coachee was having trouble with his decision-making speed as it was causing conflict with colleagues that moved faster.

On further questioning, he revealed his slowness was rooted in fear, not process (this is often the case). Most telling it didn’t translate into better outcomes, just more time.

I offered two things for him to work on - The 70% Rule and Filter Sets

In my book, Barn Raising for Business, I include a quote from Jeff Bezos: "Most decisions should probably be made with somewhere around 70% of the information you wish you had. If you wait for 90%, in most cases, you're probably being slow."

I then suggested he create a list of ten must haves (a “filter set”) in order for him to move forward on a project. If he reaches 7 out of the 10 he both knows he can move forward as well as areas that need to continue to be worked on to increase his confidence further.

What is your process for making decisions?