THE SEVEN KEYS TO GOOD DECISION MAKING FOR 2026
- verlawade
- Jan 5
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 6
~ Verla Wade @ AskVerla©2026
Optimizing words. Elevating wisdom.
Consider This:
Moment by moment we are making decisions. Yes—even doing nothing is a choice. Some
of us stall, drowning in data until analysis paralysis takes over. Others decide quickly, confident we can course-correct as we learn more. And some of us hesitate, worried a single decision might rattle a relationship we depend on, trapped in mental gridlock.
Embedded in effective decision-making is the maturity that produces tangible, measurable success and peace of mind. For most individuals, making effective choices is a learned skill drawn from both observation as well as trial and error.
The Seven Keys to Good Decision Making For 2026 is a refinement of what my personal, hands-on life experience and hard won ‘street smarts’ have instilled in me, merged with an observation of and close alliance with some world-class decision makers.
1. Know Who to Consult With
Talking to the right people is imperative in making good decisions. Knowing who to ask and what to ask will both maximize your time and give you access to the spot-on insight. Yes, talk to the usual people, as identified by your decision. These are the people who are knowledgeable in the field as well as the trustworthy folks you generally consult with. Then continue to seek input and ask questions of others in a non-linear way… including business leaders you are meeting with on unrelated topics, people you know at your club, someone on the golf course, and even a gardener or waiter. Their answers will sometimes be random and surprisingly more often, introduce points you may have missed. When you can consult with another business leader who knows how to make decisions about business, ask them what they think about your unrelated question.
Asking the right people is an extremely important trait to develop. Stay open-minded about who to ask and know how ask; even if they are not the person with line authority in making the decision.
2. Be a Student of History (Both of Yourself and Your Decisions as Well as Those in Your field or Area of Focus)
When you get specific about where you are, where you’ve been (your history), and where you're going, everything changes. The path becomes obvious. Excuses lose their power, and the decisions you get to make become much easier.
Know your own history in decision making and resulting outcomes. What are your decision-making strengths and weakness? Know the decisions you celebrate and the ones you would redo based on results. Hindsight is 20/20!
Learn the history of decision makers in your field or area of expertise, as well as what has transpired with your predecessors. Understanding past errors made by your predecessors and learning the lessons can be a huge part of your successful decision-making process. This includes knowing both what they did and the impact of what they did. To this point, one of my guiding mentors taught me early on that smart people learn from their own mistakes, while wise people learn from others’ mistakes!
3. Make No Decision Before It’s Time
Run on your own clock when you’re making a decision. When you have a choice, feel absolute freedom to reach whatever conclusion you want, even if it is long after the conventional timekeeping would suggest you have to decide! This is an extremely valuable trait. And not everyone can implement it successfully or even get away with this. It takes practice and refinement.
Be ready if someone insists you must decide by a specific date, like "You said you'd choose by Feb 1, so stick to Feb 1.” Know that you’re still in charge of your decision when anyone tells you that you need to decide this ‘X’ either because of some external deadline or because you previously set a deadline, whether in public or private. Care more about keeping your word with yourself to make a good decision than you do about whether someone in the moment is displeased with your decision.
Do not make life-changing or important decisions until you absolutely must; and sometimes not even then! It’s true, in some cases this can be exceptionally risky. And, this strategy will set you aside from other people in your field. This is not about controlling others, it is not about keeping your word, and it is certainly not about meeting your obligations and deadlines. It's all about making the right decision in the right time for your situation.
4. Match Your Decision to the Specific Problem
Guided by your values and principles when you are making a choice, sometimes here you can be guided simply by ethics: right vs. wrong, good vs. bad. Other times you will say ‘no’ on this choice – it’s bloodless – you need more data because the decision you need to make is a strategic decision. The nature of this type of decision is based on the facts based regardless of the choice you must make. We often observed people seeming to err in just going with the data – what I refer to as a bloodless decision.
A more enlightened approach is to match each decision to whatever the specific is. And to not ever feel boxed in by either the simple ‘good vs. bad’, or ‘moral vs. amoral’; or having to decide on data only.
Please remember this: it’s all situational. This is a very strong, realistic and reliable way to make the decisions in your life.
5. Making the Decision Is Only The 1st Step
First and foremost, make sure you place more of your focus on execution and implementation than do competitors and others in your field. Your decision is important, and it’s only the first thing you accomplish. When you make a balanced decision, you’re considering all the normal things that go into this type of choice, including who, what, when, where, why and how, your decision may disrupt as well as the potential consequences (to you and others) of that disruption. This is all packed into your decision; it’s wedded to the results of your decision.
Once your decision is made, proceed in alignment with it – “I’m doing ‘X’ and the result is going to be ‘Y’.” Like I said, this is just the first step. Now you can move forward with confidence and implement involvement with the right people to optimize your results. And again, maintain a high emphasis on implementation, a high emphases on execution and of course include the media (in all its many forms, including social media and advertising) in the public-facing aspects of your decision regarding what you’re doing.
6. Don’t Let Anyone Else (Including Media) Frame Your Decision
It is wise to recognize that when you decide and then ‘just throw it out there’, others will take over – perhaps misinterpret and follow their agenda vs. yours. Most other people can’t and won’t frame the story of your decision the way you want it framed. Specifically, never let the media (on any level) frame your decision. Always frame it yourself. You may not always win – sometimes recipients of your decision or some level of media will push back.
The only way to negotiate negative or harmful judgment is to mitigate your courses of action by overseeing the framing of your whole decision every step of the way. Other businesspeople tend to consider their job is largely complete within the walls of ‘I’ve made my decision’, leaving it to someone else to implement. It is important not to delegate until you have clearly decided both what to do and how to do it.
And if/when you change your mind because you have more information, and/or something isn’t proceeding as intended, do not be afraid of switching. No decision in your mind is final until you decide its final. And this is why you must oversee framing your decision – particularly when there’s a change or adjustment.
I want to stress here that it’s important that you don’t mind changing your mind, and when you do, be transparent about it. Don’t make up a story or pretend like you haven’t! And in changing your mind, it’s irrelevant whether you are doing that because you acquired new information, or you made a mistake. Be relentless about this – knowledgeable and relentless. Adopt the policy that if you find a better option, you’ll change your mind!
7. Trust Your Instincts and Follow Them
You might say that this step runs counter to most of the other items mentioned above, because the rest of them are primarily about using a method to accomplish results.
Following your instincts runs counter to that. It says basically: ‘it doesn’t matter who you consult’, ‘it doesn't matter if you know anything about history’, ‘it doesn't matter what the timing of the decision is’, ‘it doesn’t matter what factors go into it in terms of data’, ‘it doesn’t matter what implementations there are or what the media’s role is’. What matters is your gut, and that is how to optimize your decision-making process. Most definitely utilize each of the other six steps, but in the end, embrace the belief that following your instincts is key.
The Wrap:
These seven steps or keys to good decision making are obviously not just for 2026! And, at the start of a year, we tend to look at what’s been working, what’s not working, and be more open to making necessary adjustments – turn over a new leaf if you will. In this spirit, I have tagged my first WOW (Words Optimizing Wisdom) article for the start of 2026, as I have found that all my results flow from the decisions I have made, my clarity in making them, and the state of my mind in implementing them.
Wishing you a fabulous 2026 – your best year yet in this marvelous Fire Horse energy. More about these energies to soon follow in an upcoming WOW Publication.
🌟 Invitation: If these seven steps remind you of anyone who’s observable on the international geo-political scene, please send me who you think it is and I’ll enter you in a drawing to win a complimentary 1-hour decision-making coaching session with me @ AskVerla. Submit your entry.
And until we connect again….
Optimizing words. Elevating wisdom.
©AskVerla 2026
✍️ Thank you for your read. I am looking forward to hearing from you and welcome your comments and insights. Comments
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About Verla
Verla is a Life Elevation Strategist with a background spanning human potential development, corporate leadership, and entrepreneurship. Beginning her career as a sales director and trainer, she transitioned into entrepreneurship in 1999 and went on to found The Living Light Foundation, an organization dedicated to education, healing, and personal transformation.
With over 25 years of training in the Western Mystery Tradition, Verla has a unique ability to translate timeless wisdom into practical, modern-day applications. Having worked and taught internationally, she supports individuals who are ready to step consciously into their next phase of growth.
Through AskVerla, she integrates life experience, business acumen, and heart-centered realism to help clients harmonize their personal, professional, and spiritual lives—empowering them to navigate life with clarity, purpose, and wisdom.
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