Getting Clarity in Decision Making
Getting Clarity in Decision Making
The stress of making a major decision often brings up emotions my clients don’t want to face. For instance, the prospect of having to fire an employee might remind my client of when she was summarily dismissed from her first job. Unresolved issues can lead to anxiety, confusion and destabilization. Anxiety often leads to sleeplessness and host of other symptoms that causes secondary stress. Making a decision under these circumstances would be difficult for anyone.
Good decision making is important for effective leadership and career success. Good decisions, made in a timely manner can make all the difference to your success. Poor decisions court failure, affecting your status and leadership of your own life.
One of the most effective tools I use with these clients is to ask them to create a list of pros and cons to help clarify the dilemma in their mind. This is such a simple technique but one that never fails to point to the right decision.
My job as a coach is to bring creativity, clarity and focus to my client’s problems. When Linda came to see me about whether she should accept an early retirement package or continue working for the media company she works for, she was extremely anxious and nervous about making the decision. No wonder. Linda had worked there for twenty-five years and it was her life. She was tempted to take the package but she was worried about losing her friends, her social life, and her reason for getting up in the morning. She was deeply divided.
Skills Inventory
I asked her to keep an open mind to any and all possibilities. Is it possible her dilemma isn’t as black and white as she perceives it? I asked her to write down everything she is good at and things she is not particularly good at. I then asked her to write down what she loves and hates about her job—even people she likes to work with or not. As we discussed her work she wrote it down as a pro or a con. For home work, I asked her to make a list of all the things she might like to do if she opted for early retirement. I asked her to make a list of the pros and cons of each option. We discussed some options and agreed to meet a week later.
Relief
When I talked to Linda a week later she had already made up her mind. Writing down the pros and cons of each option not only helped her make up her mind but she was instantly relieved of anxiety and uncertainty and she could sleep soundly again.
Writing a list of pros and cons can help bring clarity to any decision. In the end she decided to take the package and volunteer as a media consultant to environmental groups because she has very strong values about helping others, a commitment to the environment, a need to be valued and a she needed to have a social workplace.
Linda also decided to hang out her shingle as a media consultant to keep her skills sharp and to bring in extra income. The relief on Linda’s face said it all. She was comfortable with her decision because the uncertainty of her future had dissolved. She was now sure about her course.
Using the right tools and some creative input helped Linda come to the best decision on her own. Rather than seeing the problem in an either/or situation, Linda saw that there were plenty of opportunities waiting for her and that she is still valued. She realized she would still have her friends and with luck she would be greeted back as a consultant. Contributing to a cause she passionately believes in will bring her what she wants at this stage in life—satisfaction and being valued. She confided that making this decision was the hardest thing she has done in years but with coaching she was able to see exactly what she wanted for herself.
Getting Clarity in Decision Making - To learn more about this author, visit Bradley Foster's Website.
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By far, the most frequent issue clients come to see me about has to do with problems making decisions. Sometimes the decisions are career related, sometimes they are personal, but they are always crucially important to my clients’ future and they are frequently accompanied by confusion and anxiety. No wonder they are feeling indecisive.
The stress of making a major decision often brings up emotions my clients don’t want to face. For instance, the prospect of having to fire an employee might remind my client of when she was summarily dismissed from her first job. Unresolved issues can lead to anxiety, confusion and destabilization. Anxiety often leads to sleeplessness and host of other symptoms that causes secondary stress. Making a decision under these circumstances would be difficult for anyone.
Good decision making is important for effective leadership and career success. Good decisions, made in a timely manner can make all the difference to your success. Poor decisions court failure, affecting your status and leadership of your own life.
One of the most effective tools I use with these clients is to ask them to create a list of pros and cons to help clarify the dilemma in their mind. This is such a simple technique but one that never fails to point to the right decision.
My job as a coach is to bring creativity, clarity and focus to my client’s problems. When Linda came to see me about whether she should accept an early retirement package or continue working for the media company she works for, she was extremely anxious and nervous about making the decision. No wonder. Linda had worked there for twenty-five years and it was her life. She was tempted to take the package but she was worried about losing her friends, her social life, and her reason for getting up in the morning. She was deeply divided.
Skills Inventory
I asked her to keep an open mind to any and all possibilities. Is it possible her dilemma isn’t as black and white as she perceives it? I asked her to write down everything she is good at and things she is not particularly good at. I then asked her to write down what she loves and hates about her job—even people she likes to work with or not. As we discussed her work she wrote it down as a pro or a con. For home work, I asked her to make a list of all the things she might like to do if she opted for early retirement. I asked her to make a list of the pros and cons of each option. We discussed some options and agreed to meet a week later.
Relief
When I talked to Linda a week later she had already made up her mind. Writing down the pros and cons of each option not only helped her make up her mind but she was instantly relieved of anxiety and uncertainty and she could sleep soundly again.
Writing a list of pros and cons can help bring clarity to any decision. In the end she decided to take the package and volunteer as a media consultant to environmental groups because she has very strong values about helping others, a commitment to the environment, a need to be valued and a she needed to have a social workplace.
Linda also decided to hang out her shingle as a media consultant to keep her skills sharp and to bring in extra income. The relief on Linda’s face said it all. She was comfortable with her decision because the uncertainty of her future had dissolved. She was now sure about her course.
Using the right tools and some creative input helped Linda come to the best decision on her own. Rather than seeing the problem in an either/or situation, Linda saw that there were plenty of opportunities waiting for her and that she is still valued. She realized she would still have her friends and with luck she would be greeted back as a consultant. Contributing to a cause she passionately believes in will bring her what she wants at this stage in life—satisfaction and being valued. She confided that making this decision was the hardest thing she has done in years but with coaching she was able to see exactly what she wanted for herself.
Getting Clarity in Decision Making - To learn more about this author, visit Bradley Foster's Website.
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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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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