Making Decisions That Count
Making Decisions That Count
For many of you, this decision may have been relatively easy, while others of you may have found this to be a rather daunting decision to make. Our heightened awareness of the magnitude of the outcome of this year’s election, should serve to remind us of just how important our decision making processes are on a daily basis. Thus goes every day life.
So, what kind of other important decisions have you been executing? What I’m really asking you is... What else have you been “voting” for? While the act of voting is our esteemed privilege as American’s, the seemingly all important decision that is being made, is in reality simply another “choice”. We make hundreds of choices every single day. Some will seemingly have little significance, and others will appear more than weighty. Yet in the end, every choice is a very real “decision”. Why is this important you ask? The answer is that every decision made will have alternative result outcomes, dependent on the final choice election that we actually make.
If you really think it’s not all that big a deal... think on. Try this decision on for size:
For the moment, I’m going to have you imagine that you’re my friend Sam. Like the rest of us, Sam is juggling a lot of stuff in his life, including being up for a promotion at work. He was up late last evening working on his presentation for a very important client meeting early this morning. When Sam got up this morning after a short nights sleep, he hurriedly grabbed a cup of coffee, stopped to take the garbage can out to the curb (which he forgot to do last night), quickly jumped into the shower, got dressed in a frenzy and raced out the door to make his long commute to get to the office on time.
At this point, it all probably sounds pretty normal, as we all have these kinds of hectic days. But let’s look at this scenario a bit deeper. Traffic was heavier than usual this morning, not to mention the backup due to an earlier accident. By the time Sam got to the office building’s parking lot he was already tense. He had wanted to get to work early today, and now he was barely there on time. After parking, as Sam opened his car door and began to get out, he looked down to see that his wardrobe for the day was grossly mismatched. He was wearing traditional business presentation attire, a dark blue suit with a corresponding blue and red patterned tie. However, in the dim early morning light, Sam had hastily procured a dark pair of socks from his dresser drawer which he thought at the time were dark blue... only to now learn that they were a dark color alright... “Olive” green!
Can you picture what happened to Sam from that moment on?
Sam was resultantly very “self conscious” about his wardrobe selection error.
Sam became very nervous, adding to his early tensions.
Sam was worried about what other people might think if they noticed (and surely they would).
Sam lost his edge and wasn’t on his game come presentation time.
And...
While I could extend this scenario further, I feel certain that you get the point of the exercise. When you get right down to it, it usually doesn’t take too much to alter the results that we get. In this instance, one pair of men’s socks. Sam could have opted to have set his clothing out last evening, but that wasn’t the choice that he elected to make. As cited earlier, every decision made has an impact, a reward or a consequence. In Sam’s case:
Sam had to live with his decision all day (a long day no doubt).
Sam had to endure the embarrassment of his decision.
Sam had to literally “walk around” in his decision the entire day.
Sam played the “If only I had...” game all day in his head, and was self distracted.
Sam was consequently less than productive.
Sam made less than a sterling presentation.
Sam is now more worried about his chances for a promotion.
It is also important to realize that decisions, like our thinking and behavior are subject to “patterns”. While there are clinically theories which describe this in a more comprehensive manner, we can understand the conflict that arises in the decision making process from the following three factors:
What a person SAYS they are going to do (an individual’s “Espoused Theory”).
What a person actually DOES or how they behave (an individual’s “Theory In Use”).
What a person INTENDED to do (an individual’s “Action Theory”).
The necessity of having balanced and congruent thought-behavior patterns, is key when it comes to effecting appropriate and consistent decision making.
Let’s now focus back on the question at hand... What else have you been voting for (in your life)? This is a significant question, because our emotions are directly tied to our thinking / behavior / decision making process and can create very real roadblocks to our own “success”.
Carefully consider by column the following decisions that you have already elected to make:
Faith & Inner Peace vs. Despair & Lack of Purpose
Self Examination & Insight vs. Nervousness & Insecurity
Self Assertion & Creativity vs. Denial & Self Criticism
Joy & Happiness vs. Resentment & Prejudice
Self Confidence & Empowerment vs. Self Doubt & Fear of Failure
Self Worth & Integrity vs. Inferiority & Helplessness
Safety & Support vs. Aloneness & Feeling Disconnected
Desire & Fulfillment vs.Apathy & Jealousy
Success & Abundance vs. Mediocrity & Just Getting By
Responsibility & Accountability vs. Faultfinding & Blame
All the classic quotations now loom true... “We are what we think”... “We become who we see”.
Consider the timeless wisdom of the famous novelist and Nobel Prize winner, John Steinbeck, who said: “It is the nature of man to rise to greatness, if greatness is expected of him.”
Then say you... What are your own “self-expectations” of and for yourself?
The decisions which you have already elected to make, in some cases long ago, are either enhancing or diminishing the quality and productivity of the life you are now living. What are the "consequences" that you are experiencing for the decisions which you have previously executed? How long has it been that way?
What really needs to “change” in your life or work? Do you need to “veto” some of your earlier decisions? While our presidential election was very much about policy change in government, the responsibility for every day “change” in the way you perceive and resultantly live your life, is entirely up to you and you alone. No one else can do it for you. More saliently, no one else will do it for you.
It’s also no secret that we simply can’t do it alone. We all need help to get where we’re going, and attempting to go it on your own is neither a recipe for effective change or for success.
What life or career changes do you need to cast your vote for?
Copyright © 2008 Executive Coaching International / Thomas H. Swank, CBC. All Rights Reserved.
Making Decisions That Count - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas H. Swank's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Within the past few days, you made what may prove to be one of the most significant decisions of your lifetime, while casting your vote in our country’s truly historical election.
For many of you, this decision may have been relatively easy, while others of you may have found this to be a rather daunting decision to make. Our heightened awareness of the magnitude of the outcome of this year’s election, should serve to remind us of just how important our decision making processes are on a daily basis. Thus goes every day life.
So, what kind of other important decisions have you been executing? What I’m really asking you is... What else have you been “voting” for? While the act of voting is our esteemed privilege as American’s, the seemingly all important decision that is being made, is in reality simply another “choice”. We make hundreds of choices every single day. Some will seemingly have little significance, and others will appear more than weighty. Yet in the end, every choice is a very real “decision”. Why is this important you ask? The answer is that every decision made will have alternative result outcomes, dependent on the final choice election that we actually make.
If you really think it’s not all that big a deal... think on. Try this decision on for size:
For the moment, I’m going to have you imagine that you’re my friend Sam. Like the rest of us, Sam is juggling a lot of stuff in his life, including being up for a promotion at work. He was up late last evening working on his presentation for a very important client meeting early this morning. When Sam got up this morning after a short nights sleep, he hurriedly grabbed a cup of coffee, stopped to take the garbage can out to the curb (which he forgot to do last night), quickly jumped into the shower, got dressed in a frenzy and raced out the door to make his long commute to get to the office on time.
At this point, it all probably sounds pretty normal, as we all have these kinds of hectic days. But let’s look at this scenario a bit deeper. Traffic was heavier than usual this morning, not to mention the backup due to an earlier accident. By the time Sam got to the office building’s parking lot he was already tense. He had wanted to get to work early today, and now he was barely there on time. After parking, as Sam opened his car door and began to get out, he looked down to see that his wardrobe for the day was grossly mismatched. He was wearing traditional business presentation attire, a dark blue suit with a corresponding blue and red patterned tie. However, in the dim early morning light, Sam had hastily procured a dark pair of socks from his dresser drawer which he thought at the time were dark blue... only to now learn that they were a dark color alright... “Olive” green!
Can you picture what happened to Sam from that moment on?
Sam was resultantly very “self conscious” about his wardrobe selection error.
Sam became very nervous, adding to his early tensions.
Sam was worried about what other people might think if they noticed (and surely they would).
Sam lost his edge and wasn’t on his game come presentation time.
And...
While I could extend this scenario further, I feel certain that you get the point of the exercise. When you get right down to it, it usually doesn’t take too much to alter the results that we get. In this instance, one pair of men’s socks. Sam could have opted to have set his clothing out last evening, but that wasn’t the choice that he elected to make. As cited earlier, every decision made has an impact, a reward or a consequence. In Sam’s case:
Sam had to live with his decision all day (a long day no doubt).
Sam had to endure the embarrassment of his decision.
Sam had to literally “walk around” in his decision the entire day.
Sam played the “If only I had...” game all day in his head, and was self distracted.
Sam was consequently less than productive.
Sam made less than a sterling presentation.
Sam is now more worried about his chances for a promotion.
It is also important to realize that decisions, like our thinking and behavior are subject to “patterns”. While there are clinically theories which describe this in a more comprehensive manner, we can understand the conflict that arises in the decision making process from the following three factors:
What a person SAYS they are going to do (an individual’s “Espoused Theory”).
What a person actually DOES or how they behave (an individual’s “Theory In Use”).
What a person INTENDED to do (an individual’s “Action Theory”).
The necessity of having balanced and congruent thought-behavior patterns, is key when it comes to effecting appropriate and consistent decision making.
Let’s now focus back on the question at hand... What else have you been voting for (in your life)? This is a significant question, because our emotions are directly tied to our thinking / behavior / decision making process and can create very real roadblocks to our own “success”.
Carefully consider by column the following decisions that you have already elected to make:
Faith & Inner Peace vs. Despair & Lack of Purpose
Self Examination & Insight vs. Nervousness & Insecurity
Self Assertion & Creativity vs. Denial & Self Criticism
Joy & Happiness vs. Resentment & Prejudice
Self Confidence & Empowerment vs. Self Doubt & Fear of Failure
Self Worth & Integrity vs. Inferiority & Helplessness
Safety & Support vs. Aloneness & Feeling Disconnected
Desire & Fulfillment vs.Apathy & Jealousy
Success & Abundance vs. Mediocrity & Just Getting By
Responsibility & Accountability vs. Faultfinding & Blame
All the classic quotations now loom true... “We are what we think”... “We become who we see”.
Consider the timeless wisdom of the famous novelist and Nobel Prize winner, John Steinbeck, who said: “It is the nature of man to rise to greatness, if greatness is expected of him.”
Then say you... What are your own “self-expectations” of and for yourself?
The decisions which you have already elected to make, in some cases long ago, are either enhancing or diminishing the quality and productivity of the life you are now living. What are the "consequences" that you are experiencing for the decisions which you have previously executed? How long has it been that way?
What really needs to “change” in your life or work? Do you need to “veto” some of your earlier decisions? While our presidential election was very much about policy change in government, the responsibility for every day “change” in the way you perceive and resultantly live your life, is entirely up to you and you alone. No one else can do it for you. More saliently, no one else will do it for you.
It’s also no secret that we simply can’t do it alone. We all need help to get where we’re going, and attempting to go it on your own is neither a recipe for effective change or for success.
What life or career changes do you need to cast your vote for?
Copyright © 2008 Executive Coaching International / Thomas H. Swank, CBC. All Rights Reserved.
Making Decisions That Count - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas H. Swank's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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