<div><p><b>It wasn't an individual that got people to the moon. It was all of NASA. <br></b></p></div><div><p>There should be recognition of how many people really should be involved and the need for mechanisms to deliver smarter decisions.</p></div>

You're not as smart as you think

<div><div><p>Consider alternatives and prepare to be wrong--really wrong, not just slightly. And create an atmosphere in which people can disagree and bring up important points that might otherwise be glossed over. </p></div></div><div></div>

Past decisions

<div><div><div><span>According to Heath, one study at a mid-sized high tech company showed that </span><b>a group of leaders thought decisions were six times more effective when they considered two alternatives instead of one.</b><span> Instead of asking a group for its decision, request the two top choices.</span></div></div></div>

There is safety in numbers

<div><p><b>Being aware of your own biases doesn't mean you will be free of them. You need a system that will help prevent your proclivities from taking control.<br></b></p></div><div><p>Rather refer to bias as "predictable mistakes" that people make when planning. <i>For instance, getting anchored on last year's numbers. That is bias, but the language provides another way of addressing it.</i> It is more pointed and practical.</p></div>

Bias is everywhere

Decision making is critical in a business, and entrepreneurs often pride themselves on decisiveness. But as Chip Heath, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and McKinsey consultant Olivier Sibony discussed recently in McKinsey Quarterly, decision making in businesses is often poor because of both personal and systemic problems. For a smarter and more effective business, consider these four points from the discussion.