It’s that time again – the season for goal setting and intentionality, whether it’s in your personal life or at work. Everyone is making lists and thinking about systems, and teams are gearing up for strategic planning to guide business objectives for the next fiscal year.

I’ve been thinking about the science of decision-making – how do we move forward in alignment with our intentions? How do we decide what’s most important?

I made a big decision this past fall – after 18 years working in large, complex organizations, I decided to be a full-time entrepreneur in my leadership coaching business.

My rational side wanted to take charge. Did I need to spend more time on my business plan? Was my cash-flow secure? What would I do if I got sick, or my spouse got sick? If I needed to, would I be able to find another job? Maybe this wasn’t the right time; I should probably wait another year or two or three… or save this as an idea for my retirement transition plan.

But my emotional side was shouting at the top of her lungs. I couldn’t put aside this dream. A lot of planning went into the decision, for sure, but in the end, my heart decided it was time.

The prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with rational decision-making, takes the long-game approach, evaluating risks and rewards. Executive functions such as analysis, reasoning, planning, and impulse control are what usually come to the forefront of successful strategic planning, and developing cohesive teams.

That emotional side has a role to play too – the amygdala, as a processing centre for emotions, is commonly understood to be concerned with detecting danger (triggering a release of hormones in the fight, flight, freeze, fawn response). However, the amygdala is also a learning tool for our brains, creating emotional associations with the outcomes of our decisions.

This article from Oregon Health & Science University references a study with interesting results about the amygdala’s role in complex decision-making and exploring new opportunities.

Want to read more about decision-making? Check out these thought leaders and researchers:

Ruha Benjamin: Sociologist and professor in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, Benjamin explores the intersection of race, technology, and medicine. Author of Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code and Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want.

Daniel Kahneman: Psychologist, Nobel laureate, and author of Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman's work delves into the psychology of decision-making.

Amy C. Edmondson: Professor of Leadership & Management at the Harvard Business School, author of The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth, and Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well.

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