Business Faith Step-Time to Decide

Author: Ron Larson | Published: 08/16/2012 | 221 Views | Short URL: http://itpwv.com/local/n/11165

“It is time to make a difficult, but realistic decision.”  Joe I. Lieberman, abandoning his quest for the presidency

Nothing ever happens until you make a decision. Deciding releases power. Deciding puts people into motion. Deciding brings fresh ideas into play. Deciding is dangerous. But not deciding is almost always a disaster. It allows conditions to deteriorate. It produces confusion among your workers/clients. It will lead to lost business and dissatisfied customers. 

Of course, you may decide incorrectly. And, yes, you will make mistakes. The only leaders who fail to commit errors are those who never get up to bat. But they are also the ones who never experience the joy of hitting a home run. So, decide. Determine what needs to be done right now in your business and do it without hesitation. Work on the problems created by the conditions. You can change the former, but often will not quickly change the latter. But in either case, a decision will create needed momentum.

Deciding defines the reality you want to experience. You are not looking for the one right decision. That is usually impossible to attain. You are looking to create a new condition which will lead to improved production. But nothing moves until you make a decision!

Decisions are best designed by the following:

1.    Clarify the issue or challenge you face. Beware of false assumptions.

2.    Gather and go over the facts yourself. Not everyone around you is giving you the entire truth. 

3.    Evaluate all the alternatives with their accompanying pros and cons. The first good idea you hear is not always the right one to implement.

4.    Determine if the situation is a challenge or a condition. If it is a condition, identify the problems created by the condition. Don’t try to change the condition right away.

5.    Choose with determination. Procrastination is your enemy at this point.

6.    Know that you can never eliminate all risk. Calculate risk and decrease it with facts and information.

7.    Celebrate every success no matter how small. Celebration continues momentum toward change. 

“What did you decide ‘not’ to do?”    Robert McNamara, former president of Ford Motor Company