A632.9.3.RB - Role of Emotion in Decision Making

We have all heard the saying “confidence is key”, but is it really? We know that emotion has quite the role in our decision making process, but when does that role weigh heavier, and when do we push aside that prominent role? In my own experience I have had plenty of times when I have gone into a situation with a great deal of confidence and there is a benefit to doing so. Recently I made a proposal to my management team on how to go about building out a process flow for a new set of work. Because of the confidence that I brought to the situation I was enabled to deliver my proposal in a strong manner and was empowered to convey that confidence to my audience that was listening to my proposal. Confidence is extremely powerful when delivering a message, especially when it is a decision that you are trying to convince your audience in supporting.

On the contrary I have also had times when I have made decisions that felt like I was taking a bit more of a leap of faith. These decisions were supported by a bit less confidence, and having less confidence certainly impacts the outcome of delivering that decision. I do think that it is not necessary to have abundant confidence in every decision made, as I think that is an impossible feat when uncertainty exists. In a recent decision I decided to take on a new leadership role, and I was admittedly not the most confident that I should take on the role. I felt that it was a big undertaking and there was some uncertainty on whether I would be the best fit for the job. Luckily, this lack of confidence was harvested into motivation to prove myself wrong and to push to get to a place of confidence in my new role.

Obviously confidence is key, but it is not the only key and recognizing that is critical to making decisions as a leader.