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Decision as the Key to
Transformation
In his classic work, "Think & Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill
stated that 98% of people are in the jobs they have through indecision,
i.e. because they never made the decision about what they wanted to do in
their
lives in the first place. Indecision explains why many people feel
that they have a life purpose, but have no idea what it is.
Decision is the key to transformation. It is one of the key
character traits distinguishing high performers from the vast ranks of the
mediocre. Decision is, by definition, behind every truly great
achievement
anyone ever makes. Interestingly, the most successful people make decisions
quickly and change them slowly. They persist with the decisions they have
made. However, failures are very slow to make any decision at all (most
never make any), and they change the ones they have made very rapidly
indeed. Which description applies to you?2
The Wheel of Personal Success
Decision-Making
Defined
Decision making is a process of first diverging
to explore the possibilities and then converging on a solution(s).
The Latin root of the word decision means "to cut off from
all alternatives". This is what you should do when you decide.
Apply 80/20 Principle
The
80/20 Principle tells you that you should choose an option
that produces 80% of outputs from
20% of inputs, and gather 80% of the
data and perform 80% of the relevant analyses in the first 20% of time
available... More
Analyzing Proposals:
Six Thinking Hats
The Six
Thinking Hats proposal analysis tool invented by Edward de Bono4
is particularly useful for evaluating innovative and provocative ideas.
While most of our thinking is adversarial, the six thinking hats technique
overcomes these difficulties by forcing everyone to think in parallel. As
participants wear each hat white, red, yellow, black, green, or blue
they all must think a certain way at the same time...
More
Best
Practices
Google: 10 Golden Rules
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Strive to reach consensus. Modern corporate mythology
has the unique decision maker as hero. We adhere to the view
that the "many are smarter than the few," and solicit a
broad base of views before
reaching any decision.
At Google, the role of the manager is that of an aggregator
of viewpoints, not the dictator of decisions. Building a
consensus sometimes takes longer, but always produces a more
committed team and better decisions...
More
Make Quick Decisions through Establishing Guiding Principles
Fast companies that have demonstrated the ability to sustain
surge and velocity all have established sets of
guiding principles to help them make quick decisions. Abandoning
theoretical and politically correct 'values' and bureaucratic procedures in
favor of a practical, down-to-earth list of guiding principles will help
your company make the decision-making process much faster. Only one question
will need to be asked of any proposed course of action: Does it fit our
guiding principles?1
3 Strategies of Market Leaders
Recognize
Impact of Your
Beliefs and Values
Beliefs are the
assumptions we make about ourselves, about others in the world and about how
we expect things to be. "These assumptions determine the way we behave and
shape our decision-making process. They are often based on emotions rather
than facts. We tend to notice 'facts' that reinforce our beliefs."7...
More
Understand
Different
Styles of Decision-Making
There are many models for understanding and characterizing
the styles of interaction different people prefer to employ. According to
the widely used Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI),
people are divided into thinkers and feelers:
Case in Point
Lessons
from Michael Dell
"In leadership, it's important to be intuitive, but not at
the expense of facts," writes
Michael Dell1, Founder of the
Dell Computer Corporation. "Without the right data to back it up,
emotion-based decision making during difficult times will inevitably lead a
company into a greater danger. There is a very easy way to test whether
you're making decisions based on emotions. When you come across data that
are strikingly different from what you previously thought, how long does it
take for you to shift your thinking? Do you deny the data and say, "Well, I
don't believe this?"
Smart Executive
Making Decisions in
Discussion With Other People
How
to solve problems and
make decisions more
effectively in discussions with other people. Your ability to
communicate is the most
important skill you can develop to get on to the fast track in your career.
Perhaps the most important thing you do in business is to solve problems and
make decisions, both by yourself and with other people...
More
Your People Skills 360
Decision Making Tips...
Determination and Positive
Attitude...
Judge the Probabilities...
Determine What Can Go Wrong...
4 Χ2
Role Model...
Use
Fuzzy Logic in
Innovation Projects...
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