I disagree with the statement that the decisions people make quickly are always wrong. However, I think those decisions probably turn out to be wrong more often than carefully made decisions do. Usually, fast decisions are based on what we call our “gut reactions,” or feelings we have about a situation. Sometimes these gut reactions are based on good sense backed by experience, but sometimes they’re based on nonsense or poor reasoning.
Let’s say you’re at work and the boss calls you to his office and tells you there’s a big project that needs to be done. He thinks you’re the best person for the job, but he needs an answer from you on the spot. He hasn’t told you what the project is, but you make the quick decision to accept. This is the right quick decision, because you’re basing it on a lot of factors that will occur to you later. One is that it wouldn’t make sense for the boss to ask you to do something he didn’t think you could handle. That would only hurt his business. Plus, doing a good job on this project might help your career. You realize it’s good to reach higher, if you want to get ahead.
But let’s say you’re on a deserted highway late at night and your car breaks down. Along comes a car driven by someone who doesn’t seem quite right to you. He offers you a ride to the nearest gas station. You make the quick decision to accept the ride because it’s late, you’re cold and tired and you don’t want to sit there waiting for the highway patrol to arrive. This is a case where a quick decision is a wrong decision. You shouldn’t trade your personal safety for physical comfort, and if you thought about it, you wouldn’t.
How do you know when it’s okay to make a quick decision? You have to be able to guess at the possible benefits versus the possible dangers. If it’s a small decision like where to go to lunch, who cares? However, if my whole future were at stake, I’d want as much time as I could get to think about it.
