Success Advice

8 Traps to Avoid When Making Fact Based Decisions

Published

2 years ago

Jan 13, 2022

Image Credit: Unsplash

Many people pride themselves in trusting their gut when it comes to decision making. You may have heard that successful leaders have excellent gut instincts. Don’t be misled by this broad statement. The gut, regardless of how skilled it may be, can trap the best of us into a cycle of poor decisions.

There’s a fact-based approach to making decisions that’s been proven to work by the science of quality management. For over a century, global industry giants have relied on this science to drive outcomes. It tells us that the probability of achieving a desired long-term outcome dramatically increases when you embrace and apply it to your decisions. The approach has been studied, tried, and tested. Based on industry experience, global leaders recognize and watch out for known traps that can easily derail decision making at every level.

The same traps can derail your focus on making fact-based decisions. Here’s what to watch for as you strive to make fact-based decisions:

Trap 1: The Feelgood Faker

Many people are driven by emotions when it comes to decision making. The urge to move toward things that make us feel good and avoid things that make us feel bad is part of being human. Be open and willing to allow discomfort when making decisions. Sometimes the best decisions will require you to change, move, give up something, work harder than you expected, delay gratification, etc.

Trap 2: The Time Trickster

A sense of urgency, as well as procrastination, can trap us into making emotionally driven decisions. Quick decisions are more likely to be gut related. Recognize that the quickest, easiest solution is not always the best. Take a deep breath and follow the process while also not procrastinating. Don’t delay unnecessarily. The farther away from an incident, or opportunity for decision making, the tougher it is to identify and understand the facts.

Trap 3: The Blind Corner Smash

Understand the difference between objective and subjective information when preparing to make a fact-based decision. Objective information is factual. You cannot change it even if you would like to. It is what it is. Subjective information is driven by individuals. In other words, it’s made up of opinions, emotions, wishes, dreams, preferences, and such. You own your subjective information, and it can be anything you want it to be. The trick is understanding that you don’t own anyone else’s.

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

Trap 4: The Power Sucker

Once you clearly recognize the objective facts at play, and the subjective elements within your power to change, you can activate that power through decision-making. Decisions based on subjective information that you cannot control can quickly or slowly suck away your incredible power to create the outcome you envision.

Trap 5: The Blind Spot Blinder

Blind spots are tough to see. They can leave us wondering why our “excellent decision” turned out to be the opposite. Proactively seek to identify potential blind spots when making decisions — this often calls for courage, humility, and a growth mindset.

Trap 6: The Widespread Net Debacle

We all want and need to discuss big decisions with others. But carefully consider who is giving you advice, including their unique and subjective perspective. Great leaders accept responsibility for decision making, and therefore are purposeful when seeking input and advice.

Trap 7: The Root Cause Wrecker

Misunderstanding the root cause, or reason, why a decision must be made can wreck your thought process. Take the time to ensure that the decision/options you’re considering will address the root cause involved.

Trap 8: The Horizon Blocker

When making decisions, be careful not to overfocus on the immediate future. Look to the horizon, consider what you’re building, and keep your eye there. Despite what you may have heard, your life is not a process but rather a product that you can build to meet your authentic specifications. The science of quality management provides concepts and approaches proven to work. You can be as specific or as general as you wish, but committing and focusing on an outcome that has meaning to you is critical, and should always be top of mind when making decisions.

Gut reactions and emotions certainly play an integral role in decision making. Hopefully, our gut doesn’t let us down when it comes to our immediate personal safety or other scenarios that leave us with nothing to rely on but our instincts. However, don’t let your gut fool you, or get trapped by blindly believing that your instincts are always right. If guts were right every time, the world would be a different place.

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Penelope Przekop

Penelope Przekop is a corporate quality management expert, entrepreneur, and writer. Throughout her 30+-year career, she has worked with numerous Fortune 100 pharma companies, including Pfizer, Merck, Lilly, and Glaxo Smith Kline, and held leadership positions at Novartis, Covance, Wyeth, and Johnson & Johnson. She is the founder and CEO of PDC Pharma Strategy and serves as the Chief Compliance Officer for Engrail Therapeutics. She is the author of Six Sigma for Business Excellence (McGraw-Hill) and four novels: Please Love Me, Aberrations, Centerpieces, and Dust. Przekop earned a BS in Biology from Louisiana State University and an MS in Quality Systems Engineering from Kennesaw State University. She is a graduate of the Smith College Program for Women’s Leadership and the Rutgers University Senior Leadership Program for Professional Women. In 2018, Przekop and her older daughter founded Bra in a Box, which has been featured in Real Simple and New York Magazine. She lives in the Greater Philadelphia Area with her husband of 30 years. Her new book is Five Star Career: Define and Build Yours Using the Science of Quality Management. Learn more at penelopeprzekop.com and www.pdcstrategy.com.

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There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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3 weeks ago

Nov 16, 2023

Jamelle Sanders

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In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness.

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be.

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time.

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.