(This is a list of behaviors observed in people who possess this competence)

• They distinguish relevant from irrelevant aspects in problems.

• They verify hunches or causes attributed to a problem.

• They are clear about the goals to be achieved through decision-making.

• They prioritize goals effectively.

• They think before making a decision and come up with alternatives without being swayed by the first thing that comes to mind.

• They argue and reason the different possibilities in a coherent manner.

• They establish criteria to weigh up the different alternatives against each other.

• They seek advice from the right people before deciding. They verify decisions before putting them into practice.

• They make judgements based on actual data. They rely on numbers to objectify decisions.

• They act rationally rather than being swayed by emotions.

• They are methodical and not impulsive. They are not led by feelings.

• They sacrifice the things they like so that they can do more important things.

• They are realistic about the consequences of their decisions.

• They have an action plan when making a decision.

• They assess the results of the decisions they make.

• They verify that a decision meets the objective and solves the problem.

• They recognize when they are wrong.

• They learn from the decision-making process.  What did they do well and what did they do badly?

Behaviors in the assessment questionnaire

• They seek advice from the right people before deciding. They verify decisions before putting them into practice.

• They check the causes attributed to a problem. They make judgements based on actual data.

• They think before making a decision and come up with alternatives without being swayed by the first thing that comes to mind, as if it were the best option.

• When faced with an unexpected problem, they act rationally rather than being swayed by emotions.

(This is a list of negative behaviors observed in people who do not possess this competence to a sufficient extent)

• They act rashly and judge situations quickly and erroneously without taking all the information into account. They don’t consult anyone before making a decision.

• They are not clear on priorities.

• They leave problems half solved or fail to develop a specific action plan.

• They leave others to solve problems they should solve themselves.

• They don’t look for alternatives to solve a problem.

• They don’t base their decisions on reasoned criteria and then struggle to justify them.

• They don’t set out their decisions in realistic plans. They generate vague and sometimes unattainable plans.

• They lack a critical mind. They believe everything they read, see or hear, without assessing the reliability of the source.

• They attempt to get others to tell them what to do to avoid responsibility for the consequences of their decisions.

• They don’t consult anyone before making a decision.

• They delay decisions without proposing plans.

• They are swayed by the opinions of others and by snap judgements about people and situations.

• Often, when it seems like they’ve made a firm decision, they hesitate and backtrack.

• They are afraid of the consequences and avoid complex situations.

• They worry too much about what others think of their actions.

(Suggestions for questions that mentors can ask students to reflect on and, therefore, propose ways they think they can improve)

• Do you spend enough time properly defining the problem, trying to analyze the circumstances and seeking out all relevant information?

• Do you know that many of your decisions have repercussions on others?

• Are you aware that some of your decisions will have lifelong consequences?

• What are the most important decisions you have made so far? How did you make them?

• Why did you choose your degree? What alternatives did you consider?

• Have you ever stopped to think about how many decisions you make every day?

• Do you make an effort to come up with alternatives or do you stick with the first option that springs to mind?

• How do you prioritize criteria? How do you assess the alternatives?

• Do you analyze each alternative, compare the pros and cons and make a forecast of the consequences of each one?

• Do you analyze different viewpoints?

• Do you consider what’s best for other people when you make a decision?

• Once a decision is made, do you design a realistic, concrete plan of action?

• Are you capable of taking risks?

• Think about decisions you have made that have impacted your life and arrange them from most to least important.

• Remember the process you chose to make these decisions. From your list, identify the way you made the decisions according to the circumstances (improvised, meditated, etc.).

• Once you have identified your method, decide the cases in which it was appropriate and the cases that needed to be complemented with other approaches. That way, when you have to make a decision, you’ll know how to do it without having to improvise, which often leads to failure.

• Before making a decision, you have to know where it comes from. Normally we have a hunch or some information about where the project to be analyzed is going wrong.

• The first thing to do is to confirm any hunches, in case you create an even bigger problem by attempting to fix something that isn’t broken.

• An external assessment will help you; if this is a joint task, ask the other members of the team; if it is an individual task, ask someone who knows you well.

• Compile information, set criteria and come up with alternatives (especially with respect to elective subjects).

• Take some time to assess the alternatives. Look at the dates of the exams to check there won’t be any problems. Design schedules and consider whether they will work for you.

• Ask students in higher years about the difficulty or workload of a subject.

• Make sure you are clear on the objective of the project and how it will be assessed.

• Look for sources of information for each alternative topic and assess whether it will be useful for the project. 

• Evaluate the possible topics based on the criteria for assessing the project and those related to completion of the project (whether you like the topic, for example). Also check if the teacher of the subject thinks it is a good topic.

• Decide whether you want to study each subject alone or in a group. Set criteria that will allow you to choose members of the study group (difficulty of the subject, study habits, etc.).

• Consider how each study session will be organized (how and where).

• Determine variables to measure the success of your decision and carry out evaluations from time to time.

• Consider how investing in these activities will affect your studies: time spent, continuing throughout the academic year, etc.

• Then check how many hours you will need to spend on each option.

• When you have signed up and spent some time doing the activities, check whether you have fulfilled what has been asked of you, in terms of attendance and completion of activities.

• Once the decision has been made, don’t back down. Stick to it, even if it takes effort. Don’t disappear if things don’t go according to plan; on the contrary, propose alternatives for improvement. 

• Establish a method to assess the success of the option you selected. Consider that it may fail and anticipate what you would do in that situation.

• Principios para Decidir Bien (Principles for Making Good Decisions), M. Ariño and P. Maella,

Note: Does a good decision lead to the desired consequences or can it harm us at any given time? Can we learn to make decisions with experience? This article addresses these questions and also considers what makes a good decision.

• Cómo tomar decisiones difíciles en tu trabajo (How to Make Tough Decisions at Work), M. Victoria S. Nadal in El País

Note: This article breaks this difficult question down into smaller pieces to reveal the most common mistakes made in decision-making and how to overcome them.

• La perseverancia (Perseverance), Irene Orce in La Vanguardia

Note: Where is the line between perseverance and stubbornness? This article explains the benefits of perseverance in decision-making and also its enemies.

• Why We Make Bad Decisions, Dan Gilbert

Note: When we have to make a decision, we (unintentionally) allow ourselves to be influenced by many internal circuits we have formed. You’ll find about these in this talk.

• The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz, TED talk

Note: This video looks at how infinite options end up creating more stress, since we can’t accept ourselves and our decisions, recognize mistakes or consider the possibility that a decision doesn’t need to be perfect, but just good for ourselves and others.

• How to Make Hard Choices, Ruth Chang

Note: Have you ever been about to make a decision, but all the options seem equally valid? This is the case when we’re faced with hard choices. So what should you do? This talk will change the way you view choices.

• Guía para Tomar Decisiones (Decision-Making Guide), IESE Business School

• The Art of Choosing, Sheena Iyengar

• Apollo 13, Ron Howard

• The Martian, Ridley Scott

Note: These two films depict extremely tense moments when it’s crucial to search for alternatives and make the best decision. The decisions are made from two perspectives: the NASA control center and the astronauts in the case of Apollo 13, and the main character in The Martian. 

• Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg

Note: After the Normandy landings, a select group of US soldiers under the command of Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) are tasked with searching for paratrooper James Ryan (Matt Damon) on the front line. To achieve this, they must cross fields riddled with Germans. They have to decide whether to keep going and how to fulfill the orders they have been given.

• Lincoln, Steven Spielberg

Note: As the war comes to an end, President Abraham Lincoln wants to make sure that freed slaves are not going to be re-enslaved after the war. To achieve this, he will have to resort to pacts in Congress while coordinating the campaign to end the Civil War. He must therefore make important and highly complex decisions.

• Decision-making process:

  • Identify the problem.

  • Establish criteria and weighting.

  • Propose alternatives, evaluate and select.

  • Check the result based on objectives.

• Create a weighting table to assess alternatives based on decision criteria.