Decision Making

Ryan Collins
 Background/Context

I did this decision making log on a Saturday in late summer. I was unemployed at
the time, so this log and reflection does not cover the typical day of a “leader”
in their element at their place of work. Instead, it covers more personal
decisions and actions taken throughout that day. I have since started coaching
swimming at the University of Indianapolis and moved out of the Akron/Canton
region truly for the first time. I think it’d be very interesting to do this activity
again now in my new environment and record and analyze the decisions I now
make on a daily basis in my position as a leader, and will likely do that in the
near future.
 Processes

Tying this to my leadership book report, one of the key points in Urban Meyer’s
Above the Line was E + R = O. Event + Your Reaction (only thing you can control)
= the Outcome. We want to respond to things in an “above the line” manner,
meaning with intention and on purpose, not impulsively and on autopilot.
Throughout the times during the day I made decisions, I tried my best to be
actively engaged in the thought and reasoning behind my decisions, considering
the variety of paths or actions I could choose from, and then choose the best
option. I believe most everything we choose to do should be done for a reason, or
with a purpose behind it. This is the thought process I went through for most of
the decisions I made throughout this day.
 Strengths
I believe my greatest strength that covers most of my decisions made is simply the process I usually try
to go through when making decisions, as described on the previous slide. It allows me to balance the
pro’s/con’s of a potential decision, and potentially see some insight into what the result and
consequences of my decision will be. It allows me to be present and engaged in the moment and
situation I’m in, which I believe makes it more enjoyable for others to be around someone, as opposed
to being on autopilot and disengaged or indifferent to everything happening around you. I believe I’ve
improved significantly at these things as I’ve grown older and more into my intellectual maturity and
adulthood now at the age of 25. I also believe experiences allow us to make better decisions in the
future, as well as being prepared, and knowing your values as a person. For example, when considering
where to go out to dinner, I was able to make a better choice based on previously going to different
places and now understanding how the evening would likely go based on my decision of location. For
knowing my values and how I live, when shopping and considering shoes, I am very thrifty (or cheap)
and strongly consider if I need an item and if the cost is worth the benefit of it. When I chose to buy
two pairs of shoes, I decided this based on not having purchased many material items, particularly
shoes, for a long period of time, the need to replace a destroyed pair, and the items being close to 60%
off and ultimately a great bottom line price. As I’d mentioned, I was unemployed at the time, so
choosing to spend money is always something that I must consider carefully.
 Challenges
I believe a lot of my potential challenges were eliminated by having a strong sense of who I am, what I stand
for, and not worrying about irrelevant opinions of strangers. For example, now in September, more and more
people are not wearing masks and social distancing in public. I still choose to be cautious, so going out to dinner
and being in a very populated area of downtown Kent on a Saturday night was filled with many people nearby
with different values from me was challenging. I’d choose to walk far around someone if I saw them approaching
closely unmasked, and dealt with the potential weird looks because they don’t feel the same way. The
challenge is being able to keep distant and do what I know is right even when more people are becoming less
cautious.
The other challenge I encountered at times was when I couldn’t make a decision, or chose not to. When
shopping for a tie to wear to a wedding for my father, we had two good options, and when asked which I
preferred, could not make a decision. Going through my process, and considering how each will look against the
color shirt and suit he’ll wear, I really couldn’t see one being a better choice than the other. I communicated
this with him and ultimately refrained from making the decision. I’ve started to experience this lack of a strong
opinion a little more as I’ve had more experiences in life. As a coach, countless times an athlete may ask how
they should practice or prepare for an event, or which stroke to swim in a practice. I go through my process,
consider who the person is, their skills, desired goals, and usually make a choice for them and explain why, but
there are rare times where it really is a coin toss and cannot see a strong benefit one way or the other. I’ll tell
them this, and then ultimately leave the decision up to them, similarly to choosing the tie.