Lesson 8.10
Learn From Decisions & Improve Your Judgment
Estimated time: 7 minutes
Judgment improves through experience—but only if we learn from experience.
Two employees can work for five years.
One repeatedly makes the same mistakes.
The other reflects, asks questions and improves.
Time alone does not guarantee judgment.
After a Difficult Decision, Ask:
- What happened?
- What did I notice?
- What did I miss?
- What decision did I make?
- What happened afterward?
- What would I do differently next time?
- Does a workplace procedure need clarification?
Scenario
An employee handled a customer complaint without escalating.
The issue became larger.
Instead of saying:
“Well, it is over now.”
the employee asks:
“At what point should I have involved my supervisor?”
That question creates learning.
Near-Misses Matter Too
Sometimes a poor decision does not cause harm simply because you were lucky.
For example:
You skip payment verification.
The payment happens to be genuine.
That does not prove skipping verification was good judgment.
Likewise:
You ignore a hazard.
Nobody gets hurt.
That does not mean ignoring it was safe.
Learn From Good Outcomes Carefully
A good outcome does not always prove a good process.
And a bad outcome does not always prove the decision was unreasonable.
Look at:
- the information available at the time
- the process used
- the authority involved
- the risks considered
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2026 emphasizes informed decision-making, managing risks and opportunities, process improvement and continual improvement as part of effective quality management.
Final Reflection
Ask:
When I encounter a problem, do I freeze, react impulsively—or think responsibly about what should happen next?
Remember
Good judgment grows when experience becomes learning.