We have all heard the one about a certain road being paved with good intentions.  Wouldn’t it be nice if good intentions and good effort were sufficient?  As we know all too well, though, intentions alone don’t count for much without the results to back them up.

Decision-makers rarely set out to make a poor decision.  Yet certain blindspots can almost guarantee a sub-optimal choice if they go unchecked. Are the traps listed below tripping up your district’s decision making?

 from “The Hidden Traps in Decision Making” by John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa (HBR OnPoint, winter 2015.)

Don’t get caught in one or more of these traps!  By understanding them we can guard against them.   Greater awareness and vigilance helps ensure good decision-making intentions result in better outcomes.