Judgment can be simply defined as the process of making decisions. Simple decisions we make everyday include, when to wake up, what to wear, and what to do during the day. We can judge people, situations, and objects. For example, one can judge color and say, red is good. Let’s find out more about this topic.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this topic, you are expected to;
- Understand the meaning of judgment
- Understand forms of judgment
- Understand elements of good judgment and how to make them
Judgment is also known as adjudication. It refers to the evaluation of evidence in order to make decisions. Judgment can also be defined as the ability to make considered decisions.
The term judgment has the following uses or forms;
- Informal. This refers to opinions that are expressed as facts.
- Informal and psychological. This is used in reference to the quality of cognitive faculties and adjudication capabilities of particular individuals, typically known as discernment or wisdom.
- Formal. This involves the mental act of denying or affirming one thing of another via comparison.
- Legal. This is used in the context of a legal trial, to refer to the final ruling, finding, or statement which is based on a considered weighing of evidence known as adjudication. For example, a judgment by the high court.
- Religious. This is used in the concept of salvation to refer to God’s adjudication in determining hell or heaven for every and all human beings. The assessment of God of the worth of a person: a determination of good conveys great value while that of evil conveys worthless.
In addition to this, judgment can mean:
- Personality judgment. A psychological phenomenon of a person forming opinions of other people. For example, judging the personality of a person based on their facial appearance.
ELEMENTS OF GOOD JUDGMENT
How do you improve your decision making?
Exemplary leaders make good judgment. They have the ability to combine relevant experience and knowledge, with personal qualities, to form opinions, therefore making decisions. Note that good readers and listeners tend to have good judgments. This is because they have a wide range of experiences enabling them to recognize analogies and parallels that others may miss. Let us look at the elements of good judgment. They include;
- Learning- Read critically and listen attentively. For you to make a good judgment, you must first turn your knowledge to understanding. Many leaders make bad judgments because they rush and unconsciously filter information that they get, or are not critical enough with what they read or hear. Unfortunately, most of us do not absorb the information we receive. We tender to filter out that which we don't expect and that which we don't want to hear. However, information overload is also a challenge to good judgment. People that make good judgment are skeptical of information not making sense.
- Trust- Seek diversity and not validation. When approaching a decision, it is important to draw from other people's experience as well as your own. It is also important to note that it is easy to fall for information that validates your belief. Therefore, while making high level judgments, it is advised you seek different perspectives and work towards nonconforming their beliefs. This helps avoid making bad decisions from information that conforms with your beliefs.
- Experience- Make its application relevant and not narrow. Beyond evidence and data required to make a decision, experience also plays a part. If you have experienced a similar challenge in the past, you are more likely to make a good judgment.
- Detachment. One of the vital components of good judgment is the ability to detach, both emotionally and intellectually. This can be achieved by addressing your own biases. Understand, seek clarification and accept different points of view.
- Options. Making decisions often require one to make a choice between two options. In order to make a good judgment, you must reflect before acting. Reflect on all the options presented but don't forget to consider options not presented.
HOW TO MAKE GOOD JUDGMENTS
- Develop the right mindset. Actively open minded people tend to make better judgments than close-minded people. Develop a growth mindset. When making a judgment it is good to look at both the negative and positive outcomes.
- Spend time with people who have good judgment. This makes it easy for you to practice good judgment, they give you feedback, and behaviors to model.
- Learn about whatever you are making judgments. Information is power, the more informed you are about a topic or situation, the better the judgment you will make.
- Learn more about good decision making. This you can do by studying research done on good decision making.
Good judgment is an essential skill for all persons especially leaders. Judgment is a process. Take time to analyze data before reaching a judgment, as many good judgments often take time and good analysis.
