Series on Decision-Making (Part 3):
THE CHOICE MATRIX
You have two job offers. Which do you choose? You’re expecting a
baby. Do you stay at the job, scale back or quit altogether? You’re unhappy in
your current job. Do you stay anyway, find a new employer, or change careers?
You will make many career choices in your lifetime. A matrix of your priorities
and your options is a useful decision-making tool:
|
|
OPTIONS
|
|
PRIORITIES
|
Edit Assistant |
Technical Writer |
|
Career growth |
XX |
|
|
Work environment |
XX |
|
|
Compensation |
|
XX |
In the above example, our decision-maker has two job options. Perhaps, she
dreams of being a writer and gets one offer for an editorial assistant and one
for a technical writer. The assistant job is closer to her desired career track
and work environment. The technical job has higher compensation. This matrix
provides a clear, visual interpretation of her tradeoffs.
The choice matrix is particularly useful when you are faced with many
options and priorities. Decision-making calls forth a host of emotions –
exhilaration, stress, confusion. In the midst of these competing emotions, it
is easy to gloss over the bad points or to overestimate the benefits of each
option. Creating the matrix forces you to define your priorities and to judge
each option against each priority. You have a tangible approach to weigh your
options and make a choice based on your most valued priorities.
