Vocabulary for Decision-Making

Question 1

What does it mean to sit on the fence?

Answer 1

Avoid making a decision or expressing a clear opinion.

E.g., Leadership is still sitting on the fence about whether to allocate more funds to the new division.

Question 2

What does it mean to err on the side of caution?

Answer 2

Choose a safer or more conservative option to avoid risk.

E.g., We decided to err on the side of caution and overestimate costs in the quarterly budget.

Question 3

What is meant by the lesser of two evils?

Answer 3

The less undesirable of two bad options.

E.g., Outsourcing support isn’t ideal, but it’s the lesser of two evils given our staffing issues.

Question 4

What does it mean to grease the wheels?

Answer 4

Make something run more smoothly, often by removing friction or resistance.

E.g., A small sponsorship deal helped grease the wheels for the partnership to move forward.

Question 5

What does it mean to steer clear of something?

Answer 5

Deliberately avoid something.

E.g., They’ve been steering clear of direct price wars with competitors.

Question 6

What does it mean to pull the trigger?

Answer 6

Make a final decision or take decisive action.

E.g., The board finally pulled the trigger and signed off on the global rebrand.

Question 7

What does ‘come down to’ refer to in decision-making?

Answer 7

Be ultimately decided by a specific factor.

E.g., Their decision came down to speed of delivery and post-sale support.

Question 8

What does it mean to lean towards something?

Answer 8

Be inclined or likely to choose or prefer something.

E.g., Based on the latest forecasts, the team leans towards a more conservative growth target.