What makes someone a good decision maker?
January 17, 2009
Risk vs. Rewards
Successful business leaders tend to be very observant and are exceptionally good at decision-making. Part of what makes them good at making the right decision quickly is their education and past experiences. A business-savvy executive acts fast, but not without clear intentions and strategic thought.
Your past experiences, direct and indirect, is the raw material you use to make smart, strategic decisions. For this reason, it is very important to be fully vested in all that you do, hear and see. Those who pay attention and “live in the present” tend to be better decision makers.
If you missed important information in a previous conversation or meeting, don’t try to work around it. Go to the source and ask questions. The ensuing conversation will not only fill in the missing data, but it may lead to other insights that would otherwise be missed. Invite an opinionated friend over to strategize. Plenty of great ideas come from thought-provoking conversations. Once you decide to take your idea to the next level, the strategies below can help you turn your idea into a successful venture:
- Self Confidence – having a confident demeanor will captivate your audience
- Conviction – believing in your message will influence others to do the same
- Education – knowing your subject matter as well as your competition’s products and services will give you an edge in business as well as the ability to answer pointed questions.
- Follow through – it is not enough just to make a sale. Follow through on your commitments and promises. Delivery and service after money has changed hands is key to a happy, and long-term, client.
Even the best decison makers occasionally have to change course midstream. Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate when new information is available. If there is too much to risk for the reward, then make the decision not to proceed. If you find you are unable to provide what you promised, partner with someone who can help and immediately provide a time frame to your clients. Having an unhappy client can set back your business and recovery can be very slow.
Don’t be afraid to admit you’re wrong
December 20, 2008
Your biggest mistakes and egocentric decisions that were wrong may be your biggest savior moving forward. Admitting to your mistakes and clarifying through discussion what you did wrong and how you overcame the challenge is a testimonial to your humaness.
It is sometimes draining to listen to people stuck in the whining. Those who are focussed on problems rather than solutions tend to tell the same story over and over again never getting to a solution. Moving these types of clients into solution oriented thinking is not difficult but takes some effort and hand holding. Often a client who has been problem and drama centralized will be quite defensive when you first bring to their attention how often they spend obsessed with the problems and blame before they really can see their part in the whole thing. If their talking about it often enough and it is still a problem they are part of it.
Coaching people into being solution oriented is a productive challenge I enjoy. If a client of mine comes to me with a problem I expect them to solve it quickly and the money they spend for my help best be recouped one way or another within 3 months or I did not do my job.
Part of my job is making others look good. Helping my clients be better story tellers guiding them to talk about a problem briefly but turning to how they solved it quickly is one of my first goals especially with managers. A great leader will get out of the drama and whining phase and move to motivating through experience and success. Your most captivating personal stories that show you are human will include the errors you made and how you stood up to the challenges and solved them.
We all make mistakes, admit when you are wrong and stop trying to force the squares into the circles.
