Making Decisions Under Pressure.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)(REAL SOLUTIONS)

Byline: Morey Stettner

Making fast decisions under duress takes skill. But speed isn't everything.

If you assume you can't spare a few minutes to sort through a situation and assess it thoughtfully, you may fall into the trap of misguided decisiveness. You may act quickly, but at great cost.

"A warning sign is always feeling like there's a gun to your head to decide because you're up against a deadline," said Don Maruska, author of "How Great Decisions Get Made."

He added, "If you're bouncing from one seemingly urgent decision to another, you'll resort to pinball management and miss chances to take a realistic look at key issues and ideas."

When the next deadline bears down on you, step back and think in more expansive terms. Rather than ask, "How long do we have to make this decision?" focus on the big-picture question: "What are we trying to accomplish here?"

Putting your decision in perspective by determining why it's so important helps you withstand daily pressures, says Maruska, a consultant in Morro Bay, Calif. You may realize that to reach your overriding goal, it's best to shift your focus away from ...