The Challenge of Decision Making

Today, I am wrestling with whether to have turkey cobb salad or the chef salad for lunch. Probably going to go with the chef. Tonight, I will work with my wife to decide what we will have for dinner. It gets a bit more complicated because we have different tastes, but we have found common ground often enough to enjoy eating together. But when we had three kids at home, it was a constant balancing act to come up with food that all five of us liked. It usually involved compromise or letting someone have their night of choice. Somehow, we managed to get through all those days pretty well.

While this is a little tongue-in-cheek, making even basic decisions can be frustrating. When I think of all the school leaders who are facing opening up in the fall, it seems impossible. How do we weigh all the variables and choose a good path? In the present circumstances, no matter what decision is made, there will be conflicting dynamics. The educational system that we have all experienced for generations has been crippled by the pandemic. Our way of life has been altered in major ways. We must come to grips with the reality that our world is a different place for an undetermined amount of time with the strong likelihood that it won’t return to the old “normal”.

So, what needs to be our top priorities? This has been the focal point of much debate. How do we determine the significant factors for making tough decisions? There are some fundamental questions that need to be answered:

·       What is our mission?

·       What is the end goal?

·       What is critical to hold onto?

·       What can be sacrificed?

·       What does it need to look like while we seek to fulfill the mission?

·       What core values will guide our process?

·       How do we support each other through all of this?

·       How will we measure our success?

It is important that we define our mission so that we can filter all decisions as to whether they align with our end goal. We will have to sacrifice some things no matter what. Will it be huge things like our health and well-being or will it be our routines and our conveniences? It will be necessary to be intentional in listening and observing to determine what is working and what is not. We will need to be gracious and civil with one another as we navigate this new territory.

Several years ago, an engineering professor was sharing a project with me and a group of students. I asked him was the end result what he wanted it to be. He said, “This is the best we could do with the time, resources, and knowledge we had at the time.”  Whatever we do in the fall will likely follow the same criteria as the engineer’s. All we can do is consider all the information before us and choose a workable option. It won’t be perfect but if we continue to put people at the top of the priority list, we will be moving in the right direction.