The WRAP decision-making model, created by Chip and Dan Heath in their book Decisive, is all about helping you make better decisions by avoiding common biases and mistakes.
1. Widen Your Options
When making decisions, we often limit ourselves to just one or two choices, thinking they’re the only options. The first step in the WRAP model is to widen your options — look for alternatives and avoid settling for the first idea that pops up.
Ask yourself, “What else could I do?” or “How have others solved this?”
- Don’t just ask yourself “Should we launch this product or not?” Think bigger-maybe you could test it in a smaller market first, tweak it for a different audience, or team up with another company to share the risk.
- When you’re hiring, don’t get stuck choosing between just two people. Go back and look at other candidates, see if someone inside your company could step up, or even consider splitting the role.
- Ask your team, “Are there any ideas we haven’t thought of yet?” or reach out to other business leaders to see how they’ve solved similar problems.
The idea is to think broadly and not box yourself in.
2. Reality-Test Your Assumptions
We tend to base decisions on assumptions that might not be true. So, next, you need to reality-test your assumptions. This means checking whether the things you believe are accurate and grounded in fact.
Seek out opposing views, test ideas on a small scale, and consult outside perspectives.
- Before you go all-in on a new tech tool, talk to people who love it and people who hate it. Or, do a small trial run to see how it works in your own company.
- Thinking about a partnership? Don’t just focus on the upsides. Ask people who’ve seen partnerships go wrong what happened, and learn from their mistakes.
- When hiring, don’t just trust your gut from the interview. Check references, give candidates a small project to work on, or talk to people who’ve worked with them before.
3. Attain Distance Before Deciding
We’re often influenced by emotions when making decisions, especially big ones. The third step is to attain distance — take a step back so you can make a more rational decision.
Delay decisions to let emotions settle, or imagine advising someone else.
- If you’re feeling stressed or emotional about a big decision, give yourself some time. Sleep on it, or wait a day before responding to that tough email.
- Try the “10/10/10” trick: ask yourself how you’ll feel about this decision in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years. It helps you see past the heat of the moment.
- Imagine your best friend is in your shoes – what advice would you give them? Sometimes it’s easier to be objective when you take yourself out of the equation.
4. Prepare to Be Wrong
Finally, prepare to be wrong. This is about acknowledging that things might not turn out as expected and being ready to pivot or adjust when things change. Having a backup plan or thinking through what you’d do if your decision doesn’t go as planned will help you avoid regret.
Identify possible failure points, plan contingencies, and set clear signals for review.
- Before launching something new, do a “premortem.” Imagine it flopped – what went wrong? Use those ideas to plan ahead and avoid those pitfalls.
- Set up “tripwires” – for example, if sales drop below a certain number, that’s your signal to pause and rethink your strategy.
- When you’re making a big investment, build in a safety net. Assume things might not go perfectly and plan for what you’ll do if they don’t.
Putting It All Together
When you use the WRAP model, you’re essentially making decisions with more options, testing your beliefs, taking emotional distance, and being flexible about your outcome. This helps you make more informed, thoughtful choices and avoid common pitfalls like confirmation bias or decision fatigue.
Using these steps, you’ll make smarter, more confident decisions – and you’ll be ready for whatever comes your way!
For a more detailed summary of the WRAP Model, CLICK HERE
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