One TA Subscriber wants help shaping their career:
The biggest challenge I’m currently facing is choosing between becoming a full-time entrepreneur or returning to corporate America as an employee.
We wish we could tell you the right choice. We wish we could say confidently that there even is one right choice.
Since we can’t do that, we’re offering the next best thing: A framework that can help you arrive at a sound, well-considered decision.
The PrOACT Decision Making Framework
This framework, outlined in Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions, is especially helpful for considering complicated decisions with unpredictable, but long-lasting, implications.
Step 1: Define the outcome you hope your decision leads to.
This is often referred to as “defining the problem,” and it parallels the first step in many problem-solving approaches.
The goal? Define your ideal future state—where you want to end up, what you want to achieve, etc.
The more specific your definition, the more grounded you can make your decision.
Step 2: Determine measurable objectives.
Answer the following questions:
- What important factors does this decision influence?
- How would I like my decision to influence these factors?
- How will I measure progress or success in this area?
Example:
Income might be a factor when choosing between starting a business or becoming an employee.
A fully developed objective might read: Increase take-home pay as measured by my weekly net income.
Step 3: Brainstorm alternative approaches to meeting your objectives.
Consider all the possible avenues you might take to fulfill your objectives.
Include the options framed in your original decision statement as well as others you may not have considered.
This step gets around the inconvenient truth that sometimes, the way we frame our decisions can inadvertently limit our options.
For example, there might be viable ways to approach your objectives beyond being an entrepreneur or an employee.
Step 4: Layer on consequences for each alternative.
Limit your thinking to consequences that directly affect your core objectives.
Step 5: Weigh tradeoffs and make a decision.
Start by eliminating alternatives that come with the most or the most significant consequences.
When you have a short list of final options, consider the tradeoffs involved with each:
- What do you gain?
- What do you lose?
- Which objectives can this option potentially advance?
A clear winner should emerge as you complete this final step.
We hope it helps you take your next steps with confidence.
PS: Any systematic approach to making choices could be considered a decision making framework.
We chose the PrOACT framework based on the complexity and scale of your decision, but there are many more frameworks in the sea if you want more help with this or any future decision.
Other decision-making frameworks include: