So, You’re Directive

Here are some tools you can use to best harness your straightforward thinking!

You’re results-driven.

You need a process that can work well for your straightforward thinking. Choose something that allows you to weigh the pros and cons of multiple options, while also taking into account your desire for results. Consider a process that encourages the consideration of different perspectives, but lets you benefit from your quick decision-making.

Here’s a good approach that might work best for your highly-efficient thinking style.

The 80/20 Rule

In order to best use your efficient action, you need a decision-making model that helps you find the best decisions quickly. The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle, can be a helpful tool for quickly evaluating what decisions you should make. The 80/20 rule simply states that 80 percent of effective outcomes often come from 20 percent of the available decisions. Here’s a way you could use this to your advantage:

  1. First, we Identify the desired outcome.

  2. Make a list of potential options that we could use to achieve it. Simply list your available strategies and decisions that would help you get where you want to go.

  3. Evaluate each option based on its potential impact. Try and find out which actions obviously achieve the result more effectively and efficiently, and disregard the rest.

  4. Consider the pros and cons of the most effective actions. Now we’re really narrowing down on the best actions to take. Try to just focus on a select handful that offer the best results.

  5. Make a decision and implement the chosen option. Now is the time where you finally take action, confident that you’ve chosen an effective strategy.

  6. Evaluate the results and make any necessary adjustments. If the strategy isn’t working, sometimes it’s best to switch up your approach.

Does it really work?

The Pareto principle has been observed in fields ranging from economics to physics, and is a very powerful tool when mastered.

What are some studies that support this?

  • This 2008 article studied how the Pareto distribution applied to the amount of people driving most of the sales at a convenience store. It noted that the distribution followed this principle, where about 20% of the customers accounted for 80% of the stores sales. Imagine how effective the store could be if it focused on that 20%!

  • This article written in 2000 noted the same pattern, but in the software industry. Oftentimes, roughly 20% of modules caused 80% of the software’s operational faults - showing the importance of tackling that pesky 20 percent.

Some Resources

Here are some tools you can use to best utilize your straightforward thinking and make the hard decisions a little bit easier