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Overview

As you’ve seen, the more diverse a group is, the better decisions it makes. So if you’re putting together a project team, include people with diverse experiences and backgrounds to help your group make more representative decisions that will lead to better results.

The decision-making process can be difficult, especially when there aren’t any good options. When you don’t know what the future holds, it’s hard to make a decision. Humans are full of biases and blind spots in their thinking that prevent them from making decisions about the future.

Fortunately, there are ways to make better decisions. Some of these techniques can be applied in everyday situations and some need a lot of time to process. They can be as precise as mathematical models or simple mulling over the decision.

By examining the key points in this passage, we can learn about how George Washington fell prey to faulty reasoning. We will also discuss why President Reagan’s approach to decision-making helped Liberals and why mulling things over will never go out of style.

Big Idea #1: We all make mistakes in decision making. Even George Washington made a mistake once, even though he was an experienced leader.

In the summer of 1776, George Washington led the revolutionary army against British rule. The Americans sought to break free from their oppressors and wanted nothing more than freedom. However, Britain was not willing to let go of its colonies so easily. As they gathered their navy with New York in mind, Washington had a hard time figuring out how they would attack his troops since it wasn’t clear at all what strategy they were using.

This historical lesson shows how difficult it can be to make decisions in real-life situations. Washington had to take many factors into account when making his decision, which is known as a full spectrum decision.

Washington had to think about many things before going into battle. He needed to know where the British ships would land in New York and how strong the currents were at that point.

Washington had to consider many factors in deciding how to deal with the British. The cannons of the British could easily destroy New York’s fortifications, and his soldiers might be at risk if they fought pitched battles against them. He also had to think about the politics within Congress, which wanted him to stand firm against the British.

Washington was faced with a difficult decision. He had to either defend New York or retreat inland. However, he made the wrong choice and stayed in New York. This is not an uncommon mistake; we are often prone to overlook our weaknesses when making decisions.

There’s a name for the human tendency to avoid losses more than we embrace gains. It’s called loss aversion, and it is innate in humans. Washington was smart enough to signal retreat when his troops began losing the war. He still had leadership qualities that would eventually help win the Revolutionary War despite its many challenges along the way.

Big Idea #2: Good decisions arise from considering a variety of points of view.

Generally, governments and companies are organized as hierarchies. The bosses make the decisions that affect everyone else. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the best way to do things because it limits input from many people who would have valuable points of view about a decision.

Water departments in major cities are facing problems with population growth. They have to find a way to expand their freshwater resources. One option is to use existing reservoirs, but the other options include building pipelines or drilling well fields along rivers.