The Art of Judgment. 10 Steps to Becoming a More Effective Decision-Maker

Much the same could be said about judgment. ‘Looking back, I acted against my better judgment in marrying him,’ a friend who has recently separated from her husband remarked to me yesterday. Like most people, I knew well enough what she meant by ‘judgment’. But ask me to explain it – let alone teach it – and I struggle. Nor am I alone in this respect. Which may account for the fact that previous attempts to write a book on the art of judgment can be numbered on the fingers of one hand.

Yet great importance is commonly attributed to the quality of having good judgment in a person, and especially in a leader. ‘Reason and calm judgment, the qualities especially belonging to a leader,’ wrote the Roman historian Tacitus.

In one very large opinion poll before an American presidential election, three-quarters of the voters of all parties rated ‘sound judgment’ the top desirable quality, ranking it as more important than high ethical standards, compassion, frankness, experience, willingness to compromise and party loyalty.1 But in the run-up to elections anywhere in the world, this key quality is seldom addressed, perhaps not least because of the difficulty in defining it.