Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist and economist notable for his work on the psychology of judgement and decision-making, says that our gut instinct alone can fail us when we make quick decisions based on our past experience as it’s a key source of noise. Instead he asks us to resist premature intuition “Intuition should not be banned, but it should be informed, disciplined and delayed.”
No decision making framework can guarantee a successful outcome. You can never know for sure if you are making the right decision. Companies evolve. Leadership changes. Culture transforms. What was indeed a great choice a year back, may look like a terrible decision one year down the line. If your reasons for working at the company match the “what makes me miserable” list, you are all set to move on to the next step. If not, you need to reconsider your priorities.Every company has something to offer of its own. It’s strengths. Do they have strengths that matter to you? What is it about them that makes the decision lucrative?
If you value teamwork, find out how the company handles bad behavior. One bad apple at the company may not represent company values. However, presence of more than one such person could be a sign that the company tolerates or even incentivizes such behavior. Now evaluate if this is something you can live with. Knowing this upfront not only helps you make the right decision, it will also help you be better prepared to deal with it later. Knowing it’s a conscious choice you made earlier will motivate you to move forward and apply constructive solutions to your problem instead of feeling frustrated by your situation and adopting destructive patterns of behavior later.We don’t pay enough attention to the changes to our life that our job may demand.
Carefully evaluate how your expectations from the job blend with other aspects of your life and the changes you will need to incorporate to make them work together. What challenges do you see? Do you have a plan that might work?Leadership at the company can give a sneak peek into the culture of the organization. Do some research on people who occupy leadership positions at the company. Look them up on platforms like LinkedIn.