Decision Roadblock #8: No Good Options
March 2, 2023 | By David M. Wagner
Imagine stopping in at a diner, starving, to find the menu has only two choices: last month’s soup and last year’s sandwich.
Not very appetizing.
Tough choices are even harder when it feels like we have no good options. We feel like our hands are tied, our backs up against the wall. It can be a debilitating roadblock to decision-making.
The feeling that there’s no good choice happens when:
There are better options, we just need help finding them,
There aren’t better options…yet - but they’re worth waiting for, and
There really are no better options, and we still need to act.
Find a Better Option
Sometimes the way we have framed an issue and the choices available limits our thinking.
Rosamund and Bejamin Zander’s The Art of Possibility illustrate the power of framing through a fable of two shoe salesmen sent as scouts to a explore business prospects in a developing region. The scouts returned conflicted reports.
The first: “BARREN MARKET. NO ONE WEARS SHOES.”
The second: “HUGE OPPORTUNITY. THEY HAVE NO SHOES.”
Is there an outside-the-box way to think about your situation?
We also tend to feel stuck when we only see one or two options. The folks at Box of Crayons say that once we’ve identified five alternatives, it triggers our brains to realize we have lots of options. Try brainstorming prompts, such as, “What would we do if there was no risk of failure?”
When it Pays to Wait-and-See
One option is to do nothing. At least, not yet.
Consider what would happen if you delayed making a choice. It is possible that the consequences would be calamitous. Let’s say reframing and brainstorming produce no option better than the status quo. Can you wait to see if the issue, or your choices, improve?
CAUTION: Wait-and-see pays off only when there is minimal risk that things will get worse by waiting. DO NOT use this as an excuse to procrastinate when the outcome is uncertain or may deteriorate – like putting off medical care in hopes that an issue will “clear up on its own.”
Take a Deep Breath and Take the Plunge
If you’ve reached this point without finding a better solution, I’m very sorry. I know this is tough.
You’ve confirmed that there are no better options. And you’ve determined that delaying action would be worse than the choice you’ve made. There’s not much solace in that, but there is some. And if you are candid and compassionate in sharing bad news, you can actually increase trust with affected stakeholders.
Decision Process for “No Good Options”
You may not have a better choice. But then again…what if you do?
No one likes feeling backed into a corner. Being a leader sometimes means making the tough choices that no one else wants to have to make. It’s not fun. But it’s the job.
That doesn’t mean you have to handle it alone. If you need a guide to help reframe your challenge or discover new options, schedule a consultation to discuss how we could help.