Five Great Questions for Business Decision Making

What would you do?  How would you handle this? Would you say yes?  Do you think this will move us to success faster?  These are questions I get a lot from my clients. 

Here are five questions to help you in your business decision making:

1)    Does this serve me well / does it further my goal?

If the action you are considering is not related to your goals or does not serve you well, reflect on why you are even considering it.  What is driving you to consider this action? What are the potential results of saying yes?  No?  Usually if it doesn’t serve you well, and it is not in alignment with your goals, it is not a course of action to choose.

2)    Does this generate revenue?

Keeping the business plan and profit in mind is essential to business and team success.  Finances and profit must be part of the business decision equation.  Sometimes your choices and actions will produce revenue directly, and sometimes it will be more indirectly, however, prioritize with those decisions that put money in the bank first.

3)    Is it in line with our vision, values and strategic plan?

Double check your decisions, options and actions against your company and team vision, values, and strategic plan. Is the decision and actions congruent to the vision and values? Will your decision support the strategic plan or further it along?

4)    Who else do I need to include/ASK or engage?

Who else needs to be engaged for input, advise or decision making? What questions do you need to ask and what research must be completed? Who do you need to bring along with you?

5)    Is there another way to accomplish this (and if yes, what?)?

There are often many routes to the end goal.  Some more complicated than others. When you are evaluating your choices, consider if there is a more direct, faster, smarter or cost effective way to accomplish your end goals.

Carefully considering important decisions can positively impact your end results.

I co-authored a book GPS Your Best Life- Charting Your Destination and Getting There in Style.  It has some great tips on goal setting, decision making and creating the life you love.  You can find out more information at GPS Your Best Life 

You can order the book at:

 

Insights to the tough choices and hard decisions

I just finished reading The Book of Hard Choices, and appreciated the many examples of the tough decisions in business. We can probably all relate to the tough decisions that keep us awake at night.


Autry talked about the four types of clients:

1) Reasonable and fair clients

2) Unpredictable and troublesome clients

3) Difficult and Demanding clients

4) Bullies


We have all probably dealt with several types of these clients. Autry discusses the challenging dilemma of dealing with these situations involving the more difficult clients, while maintaining your integrity and self respect.


He also talks about the importance of never being driven by fear in terms of making important decisions and to remember the long term impact of what we say and what we do.


I very much enjoyed the author's comments about living in the "learning zone" instead of the comfort zone. This was an insight that I think is most important for business. Complacency can smother a team's morale, productivity and success.


Autry's comments that life experiences and how you cope, shape you are is so true. It also provides hope that we can change the outcomes of situations by how we respond, and who we are being in those moments.

Finally, his examples of ensuring ground rules before agreeing to confidentiality were so well written, and so important. As a trainer, facilitator and former mediator, I witnessed firsthand the necessity for ground rules around communication and confidentiality.

A good read.

To find out more about tough business decisions and the choices that challenge our integrity, and what to do about it, check out:

Decisions, Decisions!

What would you do?  How would you handle this?  Would you say yes?  Do you think this will move us to success faster?
These are questions I get a lot from my clients.  Of course, the answers vary depending on each company's situation, circumstances, and staffing.  Personalities and corporate culture also play a role in this process.  So, to try and make the decision making process a bit easier, here are five questions to help you in your business decision making process:

1. Does this serve me well/does it further my goal?   If the action you are considering is not related to your goals or does not serve you well, reflect on why you are even considering it.  What is driving you to consider this action?  What are the potential results of saying yes? No?  Usually if it doesn't serve you well and is not in alignment with your goals, it is not a course of action to choose.
2. Does this generate revenue?  Keeping the business plan and profit in mind is essential to business and team success.  Finances and profit must be part of the business decision equation.  Sometimes your choices and actions will produce revenue directly, and sometimes it will be more indirectly.  However, prioritize with those decisions that put money in the bank first.
3. Is it in line with our vision, values and strategic plan?  Double check your decisions, options and actions against your company and team vision, values, and strategic plan.  Is the decision and actions congruent to the vision and values?  Will your decision support the strategic plan or further it along?
4. Who else do I need to include/ASK or engage?  Who else needs to be engaged for input, advise or decision making?  What questions do you need to ask and what research must be completed?  Who do you need to bring along with you?
5. Is there another way to accomplish this (and if yes, what is it?)?  There are often many routes to the end goal.  Some more complicated than others.  When you are evaluating your choices, consider if there is a more direct, faster, smarter or cost effective way to accomplish your end goals.

Carefully considering important decisions can positively impact your end results.