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The Key To Effective Decision Making In Business And In Life

The Key To Effective Decision Making In Business And In Life

 For most of her pregnancy my wife, Angela felt glowing and radiant. When I met her after work one day she was not her assured self. In fact she was a bit upset. She had just got some blood test results back from her doctor and there was some concerning news.

"They have picked the presence of a certain bacteria which, if passed on to the baby during the birth process can be fatal for our baby," she explained. There is something about hearing the word 'fatal' in the same sentence as "our baby" that hits you hard in the stomach.

"What do they say to do?" I asked.

"They say that both myself and the baby have to be on IV antibiotics for the following three days and we probably won't be able to have a natural birth," she explained getting more and more upset.

We could have just accepted the doctor's decision as final but both of us had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right about this situation.

"Let's not make a decision when we're feeling upset." I suggested." Let's calm down, collect some facts and then make a decision. Okay?" Angela nodded her head in approval and sighed with relief that this decision didn't have to be made immediately.

Letting Angela rest, I went for a walk to clear my head. With a calm head on my shoulders I returned to my office and made a few phone calls, sent a few emails and spent a couple of hours online researching the topic. What we discovered was that there was a simple test that could be conducted immediately after the birth that could determine if the baby was infected with the bacteria. So rather than pumping drugs into my wife and newborn baby as a precaution it made better sense for us to first test to see if it was needed. We felt happy with this approach.

When we suggested this to the specialist he agreed that this would be a satisfactory way to address these concerns although it departed from the routine hospital protocol. As it turned out, all tests conducted on our newborn son Daniel came back completely clear so no medication was required.

You may be wondering what my wife's pregnancy has to do with making business decisions?

In business and in home life we are often faced with such challenging decisions that we must make. Like any decision about the health of your own child, many business decisions can evoke a wide range of emotions. Many of these  business decisions need to be made promptly. Others require careful consideration over time. It many circumstances such as ours it would have been easy for us to make a rushed decision out of fear, panic or intimidation. When you let negative emotions override your need to properly look at the facts you generally end up regretting the consequences that you overlooked in your haste.

On the hand many tough decisions get delayed or not made at all because we are paralysed with fear. It's a fear of making the wrong decision.  But sitting on your hands will eventually cause more problems. You need to look no further than the current economic climate to witness the ramifications of decades of not making tough decisions by financial executives and governments.

So how can you be more decisive and calm when under pressure?

Business analysts would recommend analysing the facts, weighing up the pros and cons and making a decision based on the data at hand. This left brain only approach completely disregards one powerful tool used by all great leaders: your instincts. When you use your instincts in combination with your research you get the analysis without the paralysis.

How do you use your instincts in the decision making process?

Firstly you need to begin to pay attention to your emotions. What this means is that you can consider using your emotions as additional feedback to prospective decisions.

To begin this process it is essential for you to be in a positive frame of mind when making a decision. I don't mean that you need to be jumping up and down, ready to walk barefoot over hot coals. You just need to be calm and content. So if you are angry, irritable or frustrated you should not be making any decisions until you have calmed down.

When you are in this calm frame of mind then you are ready to look at the information at hand and request advice from others if necessary.

As potential solutions are offered to you and come into your mind, here is the time when you should notice your feelings. Go with the solution that gives you the best feeling. It is that simple.  I call it the 'sleep at night' test.

I know some of you may think that it is ludicrous to base a business decision on emotion. You think that business is business and that emotion should not come into play. It should be based upon solid facts. To those people I would disagree on two counts:

1) I am not advocating to abandon research and due diligence in any decision making process. I am recommending using your emotions as additional feedback.

2) Most business decisions are based upon emotion except many of the decisions are based upon less than fulfilling emotions such as greed, desire for power and control, revenge and fear. Anyone who has been watching the stock market you can testify to its less than logical course over the years. It is these negative emotions that have resulted in the absence of proper due diligence in the decision making process.

In my experience over the years, whether it is to do with the buying/selling of investments, choosing a marketing strategy, staff recruitment or the health of our unborn son when you listen to your emotions and act upon them, your decisions will never let you down.





The Key To Effective Decision Making In Business And In Life - To learn more about this author, visit Dr. Paul Lanthois's Website.

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Cheryl Matthynssens

Cheryl 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

Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are 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

David Acheson
David 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

Linda Richardson
Linda 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

Dave Kurlan
Dave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website

George Ludwig
George Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website

David Barr
David Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website

Anne Barr
Anne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website


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Dr. Paul Lanthois
(Visit Dr. Paul's Website) Dr. Paul Lanthois is a chiropractor, speaker and work life balance expert. He is the director of The Work Life Balance Foundation which provides health, stress management and work-life balance lifestyle programs specifically for businesses and their employees. Dr. Lanthois has been a successful Australian chiropractor for nearly 20 years. He has spoken to many business and community groups such as Optus Telecommunications, St. George Bank and the SA Police Force. For two years Dr. Lanthois was the coordinator of health management at Action Coach (formerly Action International) Billionaire in Trainingï¿ Entrepreneur seminars. His academic background consists of: - A Masters of Chiropractic at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. - A Post Graduate Diploma of Chiropractic Sport Science, Macquarie University. - A Bachelor Science (majoring in Anatomy and Physiology), University of Adelaide. He is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the International Foundation For Nutrition and Health. Perhaps his most important qualification is that he successfully overcame his own energy burnout while managing two companies and raising a family and has developed a step-by-step proprietary process to recharge the weary and re-ignite the burned-out. Dr. Lanthois new book : From Burnout To Balance In 4 Weeks: The Business Health Program To Boost Morale and Productivity is due to be released in November, 2009.

Dr. Paul Lanthois is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
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