Important decision situations can arise suddenly
While it would be most convenient for our important decisions to show up with ample warning and sufficient lead time for us to respond thoughtfully, so often these situations arise suddenly. We are then under great pressure to think and act quickly. Unless we have faced a similar kind of situation a number of times in past, we may have no idea of even where to begin and just how to proceed. In many cases, we feel that we are forced to do something – immediately.
Being forced to think and act quickly can overwhelm almost anyone. There is no time for leisurely, careful thought and planning. What most do under such circumstances is simply to react – instinctively, emotionally – with little or no thought or clear plans. Worse yet, our reactive response may actually be among the worst possible things to do. But we feel that we must quickly try to control the fire – the situation – before it develops into an inferno – a largely uncontrollable and possibly destructive situation.
Here is what I would do, and what I would counsel others to do in such a situation. I know that I must act quickly, but where should I begin? I realize and am fearful that there is a much greater chance here of making things worse by deciding and acting too quickly and quite possibly in the wrong way.
My first step would be to get another person involved. A close friend, a family member, a coworker – anyone who may be able to help me avoid a hasty, bad, initial response.
What to do when you don’t know what to do
Having another person involved as quickly as possible may help prevent an impulsive decision and action. Simply having to explain the situation to someone else and to handle the person’s questions can give you a chance to think a bit and hopefully avoid acting too quickly.
You should also try not to do anything more in your initial response than what is absolutely essential or unavoidable. Your immediate goal should be to do only whatever is necessary to buy you some time to address the situation more carefully and thoroughly.
Whatever you do immediately, try to retain as much flexibility as you can for subsequent actions. You only want to “stop the bleeding” quickly so you can gain time to develop a more complete and thoughtful response.
I should note here that this applies not just to urgent situations but also to non-urgent situations where you truly have no idea at the outset about how to respond. Some situations simply require enough time to understand and to think about alternatives in order to figure out how best to proceed. A premature response can so often be a seriously bad one.
Never underestimate the value of having another person involved
Responding by oneself to an urgent situation can lead to impulsive, poorly thought through, decisions. As noted above, just having to take the time to explain your situation to another person can provide you with vital time to think and understand. Questions from this person may be extremely valuable in drawing out a more detailed picture of your situation.
If the person knows you quite well, it is more likely that the response you jointly develop will be acceptable and effective for you personally. Urgent situations are not the place for generic or one-size-fits-all responses that often come to mind initially. We are all different, and what might work for someone else may not come even close to working for you.
Your decision confidant may also be able to tap some valuable resources that you don’t have. They may for example know of an individual with vital expertise who might be tapped on short notice to weigh in or to provide help.
When you feel that you simply don’t know what to do in an urgent, or even non-urgent, decision situation, the value of having another person involved as quickly as possible may be of enormous value. It is very unlikely that both of you will have “no idea of where to begin”.
