We recently asked Emily Douglass, founder of GRIT Consultancy and one of our newest members in the Decida coaching network to share her thoughts on better decision making.
Emily is passionate about enabling individuals to develop the best version of themselves for their professional lives whilst also maintaining an awareness of their personal lives. A registered psychologist with over two decades of service with the Australian Regular Army, she draws on her first-hand experience of what it means to be a resilient, ethical and effective leader.
What is your favourite, or most used, inspirational quote?
I’m not sure how inspirational this is but it is one of my favourites and something I live by: An 80% solution on time is better than a 100% solution too late.
What does great decision making look and feel like for you?
Great decision making is made a few elements, confidence from the person making/ delivering the decision, the decision being made in a timely manner and an understanding of the factors that contributed to the decision. A great decision also feels ‘right’ even when it’s a tough one.
When was a time you were at your decision making best?
The time that comes to mind was late last year when I was going through a career transition and yet still had a leadership role to perform involving a number of complex ‘people problems’. During this period I had a lot of conflicting priorities and needed to think about the consequences of my decisions carefully due to the number of people involved (not just at work). I also needed to think about where I used my energy as at times my decisions were in conflict with others and I had to decide if I felt strongly enough about the decision I was making to expend energy convincing others of it’s merit. This was a challenging time but one I came through with greater confidence about the beliefs I held as important.
Who inspires you? Why?
I just finished reading Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ and this was inspiring. Her honesty resonates throughout the book, along with the strength of her convictions around empowering people from all walks of life.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to be a better decision maker?
If you are serious about making better decisions be prepared to spend some time getting to know yourself better. This can sometimes be a little uncomfortable as we are confronted with some of our biases. However can’t improve without facing challenges so jump straight into it.
What are you reading/watching at the moment?
I was watching ‘The Crown’ but have run out of episodes so am awaiting the season 3 release. I am listening to the audiobook of ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k’ by Mark Manson.
What is the most effective strategy you use for keeping your Ape (your emotional reactive state) in check?
Controlled breathing helps me in the moment and for longer term maintenance I rely on regular exercise.
What type of decision maker are you?
I am an achieving activist.
To connect with Emily Douglass:
E emily@gritconsultancy.com.au
W https://gritconsultancy.com.au/
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