'I'm an expert and these are my tips on making career defining decisions'

Acclaimed business journalist, broadcaster and best-selling author Bruce Whitfield has met a wide range of decision makers – from a criminal investigator to titans of industry, the award-winning author Lee Child and a champion poker player.

While recording his podcast The Art of Deciding each guest shares with Bruce their insights into the tools and processes they use to steer them in the right direction when they have had to make life and career defining decisions.

Bruce said: “I’ve made a career from challenging people on their decision making process as a journalist.

“We live in a world where nothing is certain or guaranteed, and where people constantly prevaricate and procrastinate to the point of distraction.

“I’m fascinated by people and what motivates us.

“Recording the podcast allowed me to question bright and influential people whose decisions have paid off more than others because they have been gutsy enough to make hard choices.

“The decisions we all make in a myriad of ways each day have immediate and long term consequences but how do we make them? That’s what I wanted to find out.

““The future belongs to those who can best manage ambiguity. Very little is as certain as it might first appear in the social media age, and the ability to constantly assess the veracity of information without falling into the trap of indecision and analysis paralysis is a vital tool to hone if you want to make better decisions.”

To celebrate the launch of the podcast Bruce has shared six tips to make better decisions and some advice on how to endure making the wrong choice.

These conclusions were made after interviewing a cross section of high-powered and influential guests including: Lord Karan Bilimoria, Founder and chairman of The Cobra Beer Partnership, a cross-party peer in the House of Lords.

Bruce also interviewed entrepreneur, innovator and feminist champion, Sharmadean Reid, the former chair of the Court of the Bank of England, Sir Brad Fried and former world poker champion, Liv Boree for series one.

Bruce’s six strategies to make decisions:

1. Be ruthless with the facts. Discount feelings and emotions and know the difference between fact and feeling. Do your research to find the best unbiased sources of information.

2. Challenge your biases and beliefs. Why do you feel a certain “gut instinct?” Feelings, assumptions and beliefs affect our decisions and we don’t always update our data. A family experience or criticism as a child might be impacting your career in midlife. Change the data.

3. Make decisions sooner rather than later. More options will present to you as time goes on which can lead to analysis paralysis. Gather your data and make a fast and firm choice as quickly as your circumstances allow.

4. Be tough enough to endure the outcome of your decision. In your process of weighing up all the information be sure to ask ‘what if the opposite is true?’ Can you afford to make the wrong choice? Don’t let any one decision bankrupt you or sour a good relationship.

5. Choose your environment carefully. Is a meeting necessary to come to a final choice or should you be alone with your notebook? Be ruthless about who you share your ideas with. Do they have the right experience, attitude and outlook to be on your team for this decision?

6. Remember there is no such thing as a perfect decision. Be flexible with the outcome of your choice. Weighing up all your future options allows you to be dynamic and ruthless in making your next best decision at that moment.

Make sure you plan your next course of action if you’ve made the wrong decision, so you can make a better one quickly based on your own forward planning.

You can listen to The Art of Deciding here: https://podfollow.com/the-art-of-deciding/view