Each of us make hundreds of decisions every day and knowing how we make decisions might help us avoid making the wrong ones over and over again. At the very least, we might be able to increase our odds for a successful outcome.
As I have mentioned on this blog before, my psychologist wife Laura has used me as a guinea pig for untold psychological tests. This time she wanted us to compare the results of a test looking at decision styles pioneered by my late college professor Allan Rowe. In the above graph we see four basic ways many people make decisions. There are ‘dominant’ styles that we use often and back-up styles that we utilize under certain circumstances.
If memory serves me, we use back-up decision styles often while under stress or under shortened time frames. If you are a person who needs to have all the facts in the universe before you and crunch it down to one solution, this only works if you have all the time in the world. However, if your bride asks you which dress you like for a social activity and she is pressing you for an answer, you might have to find an alternative decision style.
Laura and I are virtually identical in our ‘very dominant’ decision style: analytical. Where we differ is in our back up styles: I am a ‘directive’, which nicely put means that after all the discussion is exhausted, I push for results. Laura’s back-up is conceptual is a more ‘risk-taking’ approach, which can be best expressed by saying ‘pick one, anyone’.
I can see how couples with very different decision styles could come to disagreement easily. Something as simple as one’s tolerance for risk often sent couples struggling with their emotions. Often I would advise the risk taking individual to only invest 10% of their liquid assets in anything remotely volatile and then I would talk relatively safer investments with the other and their 90%.
For me, being married to an ‘analytic woman’ means that she responds to data, is willing to analyze, enjoys planning, and loves complex and challenging situations. This works for me as I am an analytic, too.
May all your decisions made together goe as well!