A friend of mine has a family practice. Everyday after dinner, they sit together in the living room and discuss decisions. Every day. This meeting does not have a fixed end time. They don't break until they have resolved the decisions that are up for discussion that day. They don't adjourn without resolutions.

This was very different from any of the practices I have been exposed to growing up. It was so alien to me that at first I failed to even consider, much less understand, its value. I later started committing to a similar practice for my decisions. It's only been a few years and I find myself at a point where I truly appreciate the value of such consultative decision making.

As humans, each of us understand and perceive the world differently. We are all prone to rationalizing also. Consultative decision making guards you against thinking gaps which in turn enhances the quality of your decisions. They serve as guardrails.