When to give options – and when to just take the lead

Picture this: you’re at a cool new restaurant with a big group of friends staring at a 200-item menu of ‘small plates’ packed with ingredients you don’t understand.

One of your party pipes up: ‘I’ve been here before and know how it all works…shall I just order for the table?’

How do you feel?

Me – I’m freaking delighted. Release me from this choice overwhelm so I can get on with chatting and my margarita. (I also eat pretty much everything, which helps.)

But my 6’6” friend, Phil, hates it. He just wants to order his own (large) portion of protein so he won’t ‘have to survive on bits of burnt cauliflower and hummus’.

Understandable.

So I was really interested to learn when choice is a good thing, when it works against us, and how we can apply this in our work.

Behavioural science shows that some decisions feel better when we make them ourselves. Others feel better when they’re done for us.

When the aim is pleasure – we should offer choice, as it plays into our need for autonomy.

That could be options around:

• Your office party venue

• A restaurant for lunch with a client or other client entertainment

• Input into office upgrades

• Your away day plans

• Your personal development budget

But if the aim is just functional – we’re often happier for someone else to take the reins:

‘To get this project over the line, I’ll:

a) Raise the invoice this week

b) Update the project plan as per our discussion

c) Arrange a meeting for next Tuesday to finalise the wording’

I reflected on how this played into my small plate scenario. For me the decision was functional – I’d enjoy myself whatever the food. But for Phil, his hunger levels, and therefore his pleasure, was more affected by whether he chose the food. Go figure.

So tell me – what’s your experience of choice? Good or bad?

And where do you stand on the small plate debate?!