Zachary CollierNov 21, 20182 minBeing ThankfulTomorrow is Thanksgiving, and so for something a bit different, I thought I would write up some thoughts about gratitude. One thing that ...
Zachary CollierNov 14, 20182 minSometimes Good Enough is the Best StrategyIn many aspects of life, we strive to optimize – we want to get the best deal, pay the least amount for something, finish first place in ...
Zachary CollierNov 7, 20183 minFour Strategies to Respond to RisksAs I have written about in earlier posts, risks are a part of life. Especially in business, where companies must take calculated risks in...
Zachary CollierOct 31, 20183 minGood Decisions Don’t Grow on TreesYou probably would say that you make good decisions, and would probably be hard-pressed to find somebody who admitted to being a bad deci...
Zachary CollierOct 24, 20183 minMaking Trade-offs When You Have Multiple ObjectivesI remember the first decision model that I ever built. It was when I was a kid, and I had this racing video game for the Nintendo. In it,...
Zachary CollierOct 17, 20183 minScarcity, Opportunity Costs, and Decision MakingWhen it comes to understanding decision making, perhaps the most fundamental concept is that of opportunity cost. It is one of the most i...
Zachary CollierOct 10, 20183 minBalancing Risk and RewardBusinesses have to take risks. There is no such thing as a risk-free business. Demand for a company’s goods or services might suddenly dr...
Zachary CollierOct 3, 20183 minCan You Validate a Decision?Sometimes when I am out speaking about decision making, I get asked whether or not you can validate a decision. The short answer is, “not...
Zachary CollierSep 26, 20183 minThinking about the Future with ScenariosThe last several posts have been about uncertainty - the situation where we lack complete knowledge. In reality, not all uncertainty is e...
Zachary CollierSep 19, 20184 minPlacing a Value on InformationIn the previous blog post, we talked about uncertainty, and how it makes decisions more difficult. We often have to make the best decisio...
Zachary CollierSep 12, 20183 minThe Role of Uncertainty in Decision MakingOne of the biggest reasons why decision making is difficult is because of uncertainty. If we could peer into a crystal ball and see the f...
Zachary CollierSep 5, 20182 minHow to Plan when Everything Keeps ChangingIn order to succeed and grow, businesses must create plans. A good plan is vital to directing the long-term trajectory of an organization...
Zachary CollierAug 29, 20182 min What Makes a Good Metric? Last week I participated in a two-day planning meeting attended by industry, government, and academia for a new research center related t...
Zachary CollierAug 22, 20183 minRisk – What is it? Why is it Important?The term “risk”, more so than many other technical terms, seems to cause a lot of confusion. This might be due to the nature of the diver...
Zachary CollierAug 15, 20183 minHow to Improve the Quality of Your Decision MakingIn the previous blog post, we explored how making good decisions can lead to good outcomes. In this entry, we will dive deeper into exact...
Zachary CollierAug 9, 20183 minHow Do You Know Whether You Made a Good Decision?We all make decisions every day. Most of these decisions are small – what to eat for breakfast, what color shirt to wear to work, etc. Th...
