Decision Making: 40 Useful Performance Feedback Phrases

Decision Making is the art of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information and assessing alternative resolutions before settling on one.

Decision Making: Exceeds Expectations Phrases

• Writes down what needs to be done, weighs the possible outcome of one's decisions, and prioritizes which decisions need to be made first
• Tells people one trusts about the decision at hand and asks for advice on the matter
• Sets a step-by-step plan of action in order to have a better understanding of the issues at hand and to know that one has thoroughly considered the situation
• Gathers evidence and weighs the pros and cons in order to make a more informed decision
• Understands the desired outcome of a given situation at work, works backward and takes steps to achieve that outcome
• Looks for underlying issues that are not resolved or that may be complicating one's ability to make wise decisions
• Treats each situation that arises as a valuable learning experience and doesn't let the past determine one's decision-making process in the future
• Focuses on a single event or situation that requires a decision and tries meditating on that issue
• Keeps a diary or journal that documents one's intuitive reaction to various situations in the past and how each decision played out
• Invites other managers to make a joint decision if it's a decision that affects people outside one's own management reach

Decision Making: Meets Expectations Phrases

• Analyzes the problem by researching and requesting evidence from people who have identified the problem or worked on it
• Allows employees to be critical about ideas and suggests solutions to expand an idea
• Sets a date for a review period where one can examine a decision and improve upon it
• Evaluates the risk associated with each suggested alternative before making a decision or coming to a conclusion
• Tries to determine the real situation before making a decision on a certain situation
• Supports other employees proposals, during a group's decision-making process, and tries to find ways to make them work
• Creates a constructive environment to explore the situation at hand and weigh up one's own options
• Asks a variety of people with various backgrounds for responses in order to evaluate how majority of other people view the decision
• Generates a number of options in order to dig deeper into the situation at hand and look at it from different angles
• Takes a look at a decision plan, to make sure that one has been thorough and that it is free of errors, before implementing it

Decision Making: Needs Improvement Phrases

• Relies on past experiences and expected results and is unwilling to take the initiative, gather additional input or confirm assumptions
• Gets excited about a decision one is making but never takes the time to actually consider what might go wrong
• Is afraid of making decisions due to the fear that one may make a mistake that might ruin one's career
• Uses same old data and processes that one always have used thus ends up making poor decisions
• Shows the unwillingness to involve others who have the relevant experience, knowledge, and expertise in the decision-making process
• Relies on other employee's knowledge and expertise and is reluctant to offer one's own input during the decision-making process
• Fails to communicate the what, where, how, when, and why, associated with one's decisions, with the relevant people
• Lacks the knowledge to understand when something that worked in the past will not work in the current situation or in the future
• Does not know when to start a decision-making process without all the right information or when to wait for more advice
• Fails to connect the problem to the overall company strategy thus ends up making bad decisions

Decision Making: Self Evaluation Questions

• Can you explain a difficult decision you have made regarding a project or task at work? What are some of the factors that influenced your decision-making process?
• Is there a time when you have made poor decisions or done something that did not turn out as expected? What happened?
• Describe a time when you have had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision. What was the outcome?
• Can you describe a time when you have had to postpone a project because you did not have the right information to come to a good decision?
• Is there a time when you have had to deal with a difficult customer? If yes, explain how you went about deciding on what strategy to employ when dealing with the customer
• How do you involve your bosses and other employees when making an important decision?
• What techniques have you used at work to ensure that decisions you make are correct and effective?
• Can you give specific examples of decisions that you make rapidly and those that take more time?
• What is one of the most difficult decisions you have made in the last six months? What made it difficult and how did you go about it?
• What are some of the things you are doing or have done to improve your decision-making skills?