Need vs. Want

Just a quick post to share a decision making pro-tip that I shared with a few people this week.

Anytime I need to consider a number of criteria to make a decision on something, I try to suss out what my needs are vs. my wants. (This is a framework I've been using in my personal & professional decision making for 20+ years.)

It sounds so obvious, right? But specifically writing it out brings clarity to a decision, especially when multiple people are involved.

• Needs = Must have this. Deal breaker if not.
  • This is my "no" list, meaning if anything is missing from it, it's automatically a "no".
  • Make this list as short as possible, because even just one thing missing means you move from a "yes" to a "no".
• Wants = Desired but not required.
  • This is my "yes" list, meaning I want as many yes's as possible from this list, but none are blockers to moving forward.

For example, when I need hire someone, I make sure to list the skills and characteristics for the two. Is the ability to code in a certain language a need or a want? How about certain type of cultural fit?

Additionally, I try to make the 'needs' section as short as possible and bump those items into 'wants', because I find that many 'needs' are actually 'wants' in disguise.

An easy way to tell the difference when recruiting, for example: If a certain skill (say, the ability to code in Python) is listed as a "need," then I would create a filter that disqualifies anyone who can't code in Python, which means I don't even consider them for the role. But if I wasn't comfortable automatically disqualifying anyone who couldn't code Python, then I'd realize that's actually a 'want' even though I thought it was a 'need' before I really thought through it. So make yourself really take a hard look at whether a perceived need really is a true need.

Another example of why this is so powerful: When I was house hunting, I made a list of needs vs. wants. I found a house that met everything on my "needs" list (i.e., less than 10 minutes from the office; has a separate casita, at least 2 BR, rent below a certain price). It was a hot market so I signed the rental agreement for it sight-unseen and felt comfortable doing so because even though I didn't know if it had all of my "wants," I did know it met my needs – which it did; the house worked out great.

Carefully defining one's needs vs. wants helps you make faster decisions because you don't mix the two up. If I hadn't specified the difference, it's very likely I would have had a "want" that I thought was a need which would have kept me from moving as quickly on the property.

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Pic above is of our ShareThis board member, Blair, talking with my VP of Engineering, Isaac recently about reporting best-practices. Just seemed like the most appropriate pic for this post!