You're struggling to make a decision. How can you develop your decision-making skills?

Identifying your goals and the why behind them is crucial to decision making as an educator. By delving into the essence of your goals, you gain clarity not only on what you aim to achieve but also on the profound reasons propelling your actions. Align your decisions with your core values, educational philosophy, and the broader mission of fostering student growth and success. By discerning the deeper significance of your goals, you cultivate a sense of purpose that infuses your decision-making with authenticity, intentionality, and impact. In essence, understanding the "why" behind your goals empowers you to make informed choices that resonate with your vision for education and contribute meaningfully to the lives of your students.

In my experience and using the example of driving a project forward, I tend to reflect on my values and beliefs, and how these fit with the projects long-term goals. Ensure that your decision aligns with your and the team's principles and aspirations for a successful outcome.

To make a decision, you need to have a sharpened analytical skill and starting from collating and gathering of relevant information from libraries, projects, case studies, interviews and so on. The quality of the information you have will enable you make a better analysis and birth an insightful and defendable decision. Most of the times, the decision will go as planned if the analysis is correct without much impact of external/natural factors. The outcome of any decision teaches us to be better in the future.

For me, it is making sure that I've all the relevant information before making a decision. Conduct research, gather information and data, and importantly seek advice from my peers, seniors, and other knowledgeable sources.

Try not to over think and over analyse. Keep objective and consider various viewpoints. I've learnt to get comfortable with uncertainty and become better at adapting as circumstances change; plan for A but you'll inevitably execute B.

Start with the smaller decisions and gradually work-up to more significant ones as your comfort and confidence levels grow. Reflect on the outcomes and past decisions. Be sure to document lessons learned and use both the positives and negatives to help adjust your approach.

Clear actions for yourself and those in your team, assigning responsibilities to ensure you are supported and everyone has a contribution, and establishing deadlines are great ways of implementing your decision/s. You can proceed with monitoring progress regularly by gathering feedback, regular catch-up meets, and make adjustments as you go to keep aligned with your and the projects goals and objectives.