Connect with us

Success Advice

3 Invaluable Rules for Decision Making

Published

on

Image Credit: Unsplash

I’ve been flipping through the menu for several minutes now, fighting my indecision. Each dish was attractive in its own way. It looks like you’ll have to order everything. Do you think this stupid decision is not even worth considering? Quite possible. Nevertheless, I bet that you yourself have faced similar difficulties, if not with the choice of the dish, then with something else.

Every day we spend an inordinate amount of time and energy choosing between equally attractive options. However, despite the fact that they seem to us to be of equal importance, each of them attracts us in its own way, which forces us to compromise, even if we are only making a choice between cabbage salad (easy and healthy), salmon (harder to digest protein) and ravioli (tasty, but high in carbohydrates).

Even if such mundane decisions take so much time and energy from us, what can we say about the more serious situations that we face every day in our organizations? Which product should you continue to release and which one should you discontinue? Who to hire and who to fire? Should I start this difficult conversation?

How can we learn to cope more effectively with all kinds of difficult decisions? To do this, I use three methods, and the third I discovered as recently as last week.

First Method – Reduce Associations

The first method is to use the power of habit to significantly reduce the fatigue associated with routine matters. The bottom line is that if you make it a habit, for example, to always have a salad for lunch, then you no longer have to make decisions on this issue at all. This way, you will save energy for other activities. It is a powerful method when it comes to predictable and routine decisions. But what about non-standard situations?

Second Method – If/Then Algorithm

The second method involves the use of an if / then algorithm to simplify spontaneous decisions. For example, imagine a situation where someone constantly interrupts you and you do not know how to react to it. In this case, my rule would sound like this: if a person interrupts me twice in a conversation, then I will reprimand him. However, there remains the problem of large, strategic decisions that cannot be predicted or made into a habit.

“You cannot make progress without making decisions.” – Jim Rohn

Third Method – Use a Timer

Last week I was at a retreat with the management of a high-tech company. It was in this meeting that I found an easy way to deal effectively with difficult choices. The firm faced challenges the consequences of which were impossible to predict.

On the agenda were questions of this kind: In the production of which products to invest more funds, how to respond to threats from competitors, how best to merge with a recently acquired company, where to cut the budget, how to organize an accountability system, and so on.

It is such decisions that can drag on for weeks, months, or even years, hindering the development of the organization as a whole. They cannot be turned into a habit or resolved with an if / then algorithm. And most importantly, these are questions to which there are no clear and deliberately correct answers.

The management of companies tends to hesitate in making decisions of this kind, collecting more and more data, repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, attracting additional consultants – in general, postponing the decision in the hope that later there will be a clear answer.

But what if we take as a basis the fact that such an answer simply does not exist? Perhaps this will speed up the decision-making process?

So I was thinking, sitting at this meeting, where again, for the umpteenth time, they discussed a painful question – what to do with a certain business, when suddenly the CEO interrupted the debate, loudly declaring: “It’s quarter past three. We have to work out a solution within the next fifteen minutes. “

“Wait a minute,” said the CFO, “this isn’t an easy question. Maybe we can return to discuss it at dinner or at the next meeting? “

The CEO was determined, “No, we’ll make a decision in fifteen minutes.”

And you know what? We did it.

This is how I found my third decision-making method: use a timer. If the challenges you face have been explored enough, the choices are equally attractive and the answer has not been found, admit that it is impossible to determine the right course and just make a decision

Of course, it would be nice to first check its effectiveness – for example, create a trial version with a minimum investment in it. But even if you cannot do this, a decision must still be made. The time you save by cutting back on fruitless evaluations and discussions will be of immense benefit to you in terms of productivity.

Wait a minute, you argue, if you spend more time on it, sooner or later there will still be a correct answer. It may very well be. But, firstly, you will lose a bunch of precious hours, days, and weeks waiting for “enlightenment”. Secondly, the correctness of this one and the only decision will teach you in many other cases to hesitate in empty hopes for a clear answer.

Make a Decision and Move On

Try this method now. Pick a decision you’ve been putting off for a long time, give yourself three minutes and you will succeed. If you are inundated with unresolved questions, take a piece of paper and make a list of them. Set a time in advance for yourself and in order, one by one, make the best possible decision at the moment. Making decisions – any decisions – will give you a sigh of relief and move on.

As for my lunch, I opted for the coleslaw. Is this the best option? I do not know. But at least I no longer sit over the menu trying to place an order.

Rachel Burnham is a professional in the Management and Marketing spheres. She has more than five years of experience as a COO of Marketing in VeePN VPN company. Rachel Burnham knows exactly how to unblock any web site and protect the data privacy of the employee. Also, she has succeeded in the areas of Data Entry, Business Development, Cybersecurity Engineering, and Project Management.

Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Success Advice

How to Alter Your Business Approach With Technological Advancements

Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner.

Published

on

altering business approach
Image Credit: Midjourney

Technology’s evolution has impacted everything, and business is no exception. Keeping up with technological trends has become a challenge for almost every business owner. Entrepreneurs unable to do so are being wiped out of the market.

There is no doubt that AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) have taken over the business world. These technological advancements are impacting decision-making, success percentages, and other entrepreneurial aspects.

Adapting to these developments is integral to business success. Let’s explore how you can accomplish these milestones.

Embed the strength of AI and ML.

AI has modified business operations in major ways. For instance, companies have employed bots for customer support. These bots go through an effective learning process via Machine Learning before being able to answer like humans.  

Bots can also perform detailed data analytics and make business moves with high success percentages.

ML is used more for the analysis of data chunks and generating successful predictions. This simply means that business owners do not have to worry about large-scale financial losses. 

In terms of deployment and usage, a reputed company like Netflix employs machine learning for decision-making.

Blockchain is increasing the count of business opportunities

Tampering of financial transactions is quite common and causes severe monetary damage to customers. With the rise of digital payments, this risk has increased. 

Blockchain is used to elevate your experience for monetary transfers. It combats penetrating events to extract confidential customer information. 

Most business sectors are using block chain but finance and supply chain management sections have a higher count. These two corporate sections have several monetary deposits and withdrawals taking place. 

In terms of percentage, approximately 72% and 5% of finance and supply chain firms have implemented block chain successfully.

Dedicate Yourself to Continuous Learning and Individual Development

You invest in learning some of the very important skills, including digital marketing, financial management, and how to gain customers as an entrepreneur.

You need to set up your knowledge base about doing business on Coursera and Udemy with the basics that are necessary for the business, building further by networking with experts through webinars.

Besides, Agile methodology will introduce elasticity to your company: this review and feedback system with further correction regularly will allow for enhancing efficiency and promptly reacting to the market.

Developing key skills to achieve goals

Running a business successfully is not only about having niche/domain knowledge. Business owners need to have communication / soft skills as well in addition to niche information.

Here are some key technical/domain-related areas that business owners should have a strong grip on.

Data Storage on Cloud: These days, companies do not store their data on physical servers. Therefore business owners should know how data is stored/edited/removed/updated via AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and other platforms.

Data Analysis/Interpretation Qualities: These days, data is as precious as gold. Business owners with data analysis abilities make correct predictions. As a result, their ventures grow in volume.

Development/Coding Knowledge

Programming knowledge gives business owners an edge whether the application is developed in-house or outsourced. It assists in getting updates deployed and handling application underperformance without getting professional support every time.

Hacking proof framework

There is no benefit of having an advanced automated system if can be penetrated. Successful business owners have above-average knowledge of cyber security and hacking attempts. They are able to choose top-notch anti-hacking software without much of an ambiguity.

Communication Abilities/Soft Skills

Here are some key communication qualities that business owners should have:

Communication/Conversation: Business owners should use to-the-point sentences in both written and oral communication.

Issue Resolution Abilities: Business owners should be able to drill down to problems and solve them. This is done successfully only if an entrepreneur has in-depth business domain knowledge.

Agile Implementations

It is mandatory for business owners to have knowledge of iterative/agile models. With such a competitive environment, it is impossible for business owners to succeed without adopting an agile framework.

Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy

A productive business venture starts with a clear vision. The first factor making a business successful is the idea behind it. It helps with endless growth and combating competition successfully. Katherine Philips once mentioned that business goals are inevitable if goals are set concretely.

  • Goals should be based on smart achievements instead of complexity. Focus on the value that each one of them adds. 
  • Business objectives should not be vague. Key indicators should be constructed to measure the success/failure of each milestone.
  • Be realistic when setting goals. Do not aim at impossible milestones since they can be demotivating.
  • Milestones/goals need to be time-bound. Set a completion deadline for each one of them. 
  • Business goals should not be alien. Owners can think out of the box but not be obsolete / unrelated.

Create a productive well-crafted Business Strategy

Business owners cannot succeed without having a network. Some tips help in this case. Attend conferences and professional gatherings to connect with other entrepreneurs.
Here are some other related points business owners should pay attention to.

  • Attend meetings and conferences to stay updated with trends and meet business owners who already have well-set ventures. This helps in enhancing the learning curve of new / growing entrepreneurs.
  • Being a part of business communities/groups is very productive. When one shares opinions and discusses decision-making tactics, it helps in preventing errors and enhancing success rate.
  • Even the most experienced business owners have mentors as learning never stops. Take part in mentorship programs so there is an assurance that you are following the correct roadmap.

Conclusion

There is absolutely no doubt that business dimensions have evolved with technological advancements. Successful entrepreneurs have grabbed these changes in due course of time and continue to evolve. On the other hand, people following old paths and conventional steps fade out of competition. In a nutshell, keep an eye on the processes and practices you follow as these factors decide success rate.

Continue Reading

Success Advice

Understanding the Power of Yes and No: How to Create Boundaries For Success

These words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds

Published

on

Creating legal boundaries
Image Credit: Midjourney

The two smallest yet most powerful words in life, “Yes” and “No,” have a big impact on our growth on both personal and professional levels. In addition to affecting the choices we make every day, these words have a significant impact on how our success unfolds. (more…)

Continue Reading

Motivation

From Couch Potato to Go-Getter: A Step-by-Step Motivation Plan for Everyone

By understanding what motivates you, you can turn your dreams into reality

Published

on

How to be motivated
Image Credit: Midjourney

Are you tired of feeling like a couch potato? Do you want to transform your life and become a go-getter? You’re not alone! Many people struggle with motivation, but the good news is that change is possible. (more…)

Continue Reading

Success Advice

10 Micro Financial Habits for More Wealth and Peace of Mind

The World Economic Forum still reports that half of U.S. adults lack financial literacy

Published

on

micro financial habits
Image Credit: Midjourney

You’ve heard about developing financial habits, but what about micro-financial habits? Micro habits are the tiny things you can do every day with minimal effort that, together, transform your future. (more…)

Continue Reading

Trending