Management

Noted philosopher William James said that once a decision is made, you should stop worrying and start working. It’s not always what we know that makes it a good decision. It is what we do to implement and execute it that makes it a good decision… maybe even a great one!

Too many people overrate decision-making and underrate decision managing. There are two possibilities in making a good decision:

* Manage incorrectly and have average results.

* Manage correctly and have great results.

We need both good decision-making and managing for our decisions to get off the ground and become great. It starts with prioritizing. With all the decisions we make daily, how do we prioritize the decision-making process?

What’s the Main Event of Your Day?

How do you know what your main event is? Mostly identified by the three R’s of prioritizing:

1. What is required of me?

2. What gives me the greatest return?

3. What is rewarding to me?

Decision-Making Traps

Too often, leaders fall into traps that cause them to make faulty decisions. They may not realize that their methodology is flawed or their thinking lacks the necessary precision. Here are some specific pitfalls that can sabotage your efforts to express yourself wisely and decisively:

* Procrastinating. If you tend to dread the finality of taking a stand or calling the shots, you may be tempted to put off the decision.

* Surrendering. Exceptionally hard decisions can deplete so much of your energy that you finally cave in. Rather than surrender, break a big decision into its components and address those segments bit by bit.

* Hiding Behind Information. Many managers’ exacting standards crave unending stacks of data before rendering a decision. The more facts and figures they accumulate, the more they still want before they feel ready to decide.

* Saying Yes to Everything. You’re not making true decisions if you’re always giving the go-ahead thumbs up. Charles E. Nielsen nailed it when he...