The Dangers Of Overconsulting: How To Strengthen Your Decision-Making
How often do you find yourself overconsulting—asking friends, colleagues, or even strangers—when faced with a tough decision?
It’s not uncommon to seek multiple perspectives, but when does it become too much? In fact, some have even used tools like ChatGPT to help them make decisions that aren’t purely based on facts.
While seeking different points of view can be valuable, it should not drown out our own voice. More voices do not always lead to better choices. Too much input can lead to decision paralysis, diluted clarity, and choices based on consensus rather than conviction.
Self-awareness plays a crucial role, particularly when it comes to leadership. When individuals know their values, priorities, and instincts, they can:
Filter advice instead of following it blindly
Recognize when they are seeking validation versus genuine insight
Trust their own judgment, even when it’s unpopular
Hear their own voice clearly
After all the polling, probing, and data-gathering, one helpful method to strengthen intuition is to pay attention to how the body reacts when faced with a decision.
Here’s how it works:
Bring to mind each scenario or option and mentally play it out to its conclusion as if you had already made your decision.
Notice what happens in your body when you mentally visualize each scenario. This could manifest in subtle signs like jaw clenching, a tightening in the chest, holding your breath, or stiffening your shoulders.
Calm your body with a few slow breaths.
Ask yourself: What is the best course of action for the common good?
Listen deeply, which can often be the hardest part.
The best decision-makers don’t ignore feedback, but they also don’t drown in it. They listen, reflect, and ultimately own their choices. The more we listen to our inner voice, the clearer it becomes in guiding us toward the right path.
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