Are You Making Decisions?

Have a look at your current lifestyle and the orientation of your business ventures. Do you believe you are making the right decisions every day? Many of you that know me have heard me say that there are no right or wrong decisions, or good or bad decisions, there are just decisions that lead to results. Those results are to be included in the choices you make going forward.

As the year begins, we are diving into the topic of decision making, and will be looking at how we approach our decisions as well as barriers to our choices. As a business owner, there are constant decisions to make every single day – it is a part of your role. Today, we are presenting a framework for how you can most effectively approach the decisions you make, and how to dissolve the barriers you may face.

Approaching decisions

When it comes to decision making, accept that there are risks associated with each possible outcome before making a final decision.

The process begins well before the decision: You determine the issue at hand. Will you require extra resources to make the best decision? Is the challenge a real problem that needs your personal attention or can it be delegated? How does it affect you? It is critical to differentiate the urgent issues from the important issues, and allocate your decision making efforts accordingly.

Draw from your previous experiences and instincts when you are considering your decision-making options. Rely on your intuition and past learning of what you know to be right by your own standards and from what may potentially cause you further problems. It may take some time as you consider the consequences of every decision you can make, but it is worth investing the time to develop a process to make your choices.

Making a decision

Once you have thought through the variety of arrangements you can carry out, it is essential to use some version of a system to ensure that you end up finding the right solution to your issues. Whenever doubt enters your mind, a choice is to take a time-out, reorganize your thoughts, and then go back to your process again.

The following are some tools we offer for use at BusinessLife Coaching, and suggest be employed when approaching and making a decision.

• Setting a deadline – An ongoing decision equates to having no decisions made at all. Choose to set a limit on the time you take out to work on it. The urgency of a deadline forces you to prioritize and evaluate your decisions with focus and determination.
• Choosing the environment – When it comes to making an important decision about your business, be intentional about where you evaluate your choices. You may want to avoid a situation where you feel rushed to make a decision.
• The Who, What, Why, When, and How about the decision – Know all the facets of your final decision, if details are unknown to you, you may be making a decision that is not applicable to your business. If a team decision is required, consult with them. It is vital to find and agree to a process of decision making that is applicable and beneficial to all parties.
• What are the alternatives? – Explore your options and consider collaborating with stakeholders to help you generate the final decision. Weigh out the pros and cons of each choice you make and be diligent about examining every single option before you put your foot down on a specific opportunity.
• Selecting the best solution – Perform an evaluation of all possible outcomes or results, because there may be a variety of potential solutions to your problem. If you are inexperienced in a particular area, seek advice from a mentor or a trusted colleague.
• Communicating the decision – As a business owner, your role is to inform others of any critical decisions that can impact your partners, employees, and clients. If you have an attitude of, “After I make a decision, it’s final,” it’s essential to communicate the final decision you make.
• Visual tool – If you prefer seeing the potential options at once, put it all into a spreadsheet, work on a chalkboard, increase the picture and stand back to view it.

Barriers in your decision process

Everyone faces constraints, the key is understanding what they are so that you may surmount them. You may consider dissolving the barrier and taking away what gives it strength, or you may have to find a way over, under, or around it if it does not move. Are you clear about what types of barriers there are?

Barriers are unavoidable for the individual as well as for the team. These are some examples of barriers to watch for and how to discover them:

• Conversational barriers. Is there a language barrier where a word can mean one thing in one language and something else entirely in a different language? For example, jargon can create unintentional barriers that cause you more grief than help you communicate.
• Pricing barriers. Is there a budget attached to your decision that is creating a barrier? Consider revisiting the budget, or if that is not possible, the goal assigned to it.
• Emotional barriers. A business is operated by people, and people have emotions. Be attentive to the psychological and emotional barriers that can cause difficulty in communicating, or keep you from making the right decisions.
• Expectations barriers. Look at the results and see if they line up with your expectation, are your expectations or the expectations set for you realistic and helpful? If your results do not line up with your expectations, that is a good indication of an expectation barrier.
• Physical barriers. Consider your physical health, the weather, your family, and any other obstacles that are substantial to you making the best decision for your business.

Making decisions beyond barriers

Barriers are not the end of your decision-making strategies. They can be minor hiccups, or they can be temporary roadblocks, it all depends on your response and plans to move around them. Consider the necessary talents and skills to get over your obstacles and decide upon a strategy with goals, objectives, and action items to go through your challenges.

What barriers have you experienced, are currently undergoing, or can foresee shortly for your business? Set up a free call with Peter today and let’s chat about some of these barrier challenges.