At Raise, decision-making isn’t just something we do — it’s something we get to do. We’re given the freedom to shape our work lives, whether that’s choosing what to focus on, how to structure our time at work, or whether to give feedback to any colleague.  

Every day working at Raise, we make thousands of decisions. Studies show the average adult makes around 33,000 to 35,000 decisions a day. These choices range from tiny things, like deciding what to eat or what to wear – or whether to get gas in your car, or push it for one more day – to bigger ones, like how to approach a tricky problem with a client, whether a candidate has the right skills for a job, or how to help a contractor.  

But decision-making isn’t something most of us were ever taught. For many, it’s all trial and error, learning as we go, or, if you are lucky, something that is done more innately. Mistakes can be uncomfortable – and the significant ones can be life changing – but they’re also some of our best teachers. They build resilience and teach us to be kinder to ourselves and others, I hope.  

Personally, I am more on the fearful side of decision making, so I am probably not the best person to write this article, ironically. I’ll admit that the freedom to make decisions can be a little intimidating, especially for someone like me who tends to be extra cautious. 

I’m the kind of person who triple-checks my work. Emails are edited before being sent. RFP responses are carefully reviewed multiple times before submitting them. I often withdrawal our bids only to review them one more time and scrap for any mistakes, again. I know!  

I worry too much about making a wrong decision, and I can spend too much time ruminating on my mistakes. (I knew buying stocks in Nortel was a bad idea!) Mistakes stick to me like honey, and it’s easy for me to get stuck overthinking. I can find it hard to not equate “good decision making” with “approval” from my colleagues. Not the best mindset, and something I continue to work on.  

Making mistakes resonates differently with different people. In Agile methodology, there’s a phrase, “fail fast, fail often,” which is intended to encourage the iteration of ideas and projects. This philosophy is fine for some decisions, but obviously not for all. Failing can be definitive, final. While we all know about the “growth mindset” and handling adversity and seeing bad decisions as part of the process of growth, this doesn’t easily translate into our actual views about mistakes, for many.  

One of the best things about working at Raise is our advice process, which we can use to improve decision making. It’s a way to make decisions collaboratively, where anyone at Raise can ask for input on a problem or opportunity. Our advice process provides: 

• Knowledge Sharing: It helps us stay in the loop and learn from each other. 

• Community Building: Asking for advice shows humility and builds connections. 

• Empowerment: It gives us the confidence to take ownership of our decisions. 

This year, let’s commit to growing as decision-makers at Raise.  

For the “shyer” ones, you can start small. Try to engage with more advice processes that are on Loomio. Schedule a coffee chat with someone you look up to for their decision making and share any problem or opportunity you see at Raise with them. These little steps can help you build confidence and can lead to great improvements at Raise.  

For the “leaders” at Raise, consider mentoring others about making decisions. Invite those who aren’t “leaders” into decision making. Take steps to unlearn the habit of making all the decisions, and instead invite others to take on this responsibility. 

Decision-making is a journey, not a destination, and at Raise, we’re all on this path together.  

The better we each are at making decisions, the stronger Raise will be. Let’s embrace our decision-making freedom, take smart risks, and see how much we can grow in 2025 with great decision making!

– Jennifer Kennedy