EQ WORKOUT #34 Are Your Decisions Emotionally Intelligent? – 16 Question Quiz

We make decisions every day. While simple decisions require a fairly straightforward decision-making process, complex decisions usually require more effort to properly deal with challenges such as uncertainty, risk, alternatives, and consequences.

 

We often think that good decisions are based on logic and not emotions.

However, this is simply impossible. What’s most important is that we are emotionally intelligent enough to be aware and are able to manage our own emotional states, especially when we are feeling very intense emotions like desire, frustration, or sadness. This will help us get to the root of the emotion and identify how it might be impacting the decision. This reflection can help us notice that we are trying to avoid a decision or perhaps rushing to make one without thinking of other scenarios.

 

Because of the possibility of conflict and unwanted outcomes, making decisions can be stressful. Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses, and those of your team helps alleviate that stress and puts you on the road to taking decisive and intelligent action. 

 

For this week’s EQ workout, I created a quiz to help you examine your decision-making skills. For the following questions please answer True or False.

 

1. Prior to making decisions, I ensure that I have established clear objectives that identify the desired outcome.
2. I’m not afraid to make crucial distinctions such as: “Is this decision efficient and effective?”
3. When a group decision is required, I know where to find the appropriate stakeholders and how to approach them to ensure they are represented accurately.
4. I make every effort to create a supportive environment in which debate, discussion, and scrutiny of potential decisions can occur.
5. The overall objective is to make the best decision for the situation; the goal isn’t to compete with colleagues or find the “perfect” answer.
6. Built into my decision-making process is the awareness and acceptance that the unforeseen will occur, and I have taken that into account without unnecessarily holding up the process.
7. I think in terms of responding rather than reacting. That approach will help to circumvent any problems that current decisions may create in the future.
8. I’m aware of my bigger purpose and use that insight to determine if the decisions I make reflect that purpose.
9. When decisions lead to unexpected or undesired outcomes, instead of criticizing, I ask, “What have I learned from this experience and how can I improve?”
10. Before making a decision I ask, “Is this choice in alignment with my values? Is this me?”
11. Before making a decision I examine what emotions I am feeling about the decision and how they might impact me?
12. I make the distinction between decisions based on inner perception vs. impulse.
13. When I make a decision based on a “gut feeling,” it comes not only from a feeling but from my entire core of inner wisdom, experience, and knowledge.
14. I want my life filled with people, circumstances, and objects that reflect the real me, and my decisions reflect that.
15. Not making a decision is a decision in itself, and sometimes the best course of action is taking no direct action at all.
16. With every decision comes an element of risk. Although it can be difficult to consistently predict outcomes, I use intellect as well as emotion to mitigate that risk.

 

If you answered true to 10 or more statements, you are an astute decision-maker. If fewer, you may wish to explore your process of decision-making.

You may also like this YouTube video I recently recorded which explores how to improve your active listening skills.