On my website, there is a list of the Top 10 Reasons for GROW Coaching. Help with decision making is reason #8 for GROW coaching, but it could be front and center a #1 ranking for many professionals. Decisions can be a source of misgivings, anxiety, worrying about making the “right” choices or just being stuck in “analysis paralysis.”
One-time “big” decisions are often required in our lives today: where to apply for a job, which job offer to accept, where to live, whether to work from home, in the office or be hybrid (if the option exists), and, given the Great Resignation, whether/how long to stay in this position.
There are also smaller, ongoing decisions that can chip away at our inner peace: how honest to be in writing performance reviews, which client tax returns to work on first, classifying accounting treatments on financials, or even whether to work late every weeknight or take work home for the weekend (or both!)
A brilliant book came to my attention recently that has not only helped me with my own decisions but adds new material to the GROW Group course, entitled WHAT DO I DO NOW? Dr. Foster’s 30 Laws of Great Decision Making, by Dr. Charles Foster
Based on a 12-year research project resulting in thirty different ways to analyze a decision, going through all of them could become a major decision in itself! However, he makes it easier by listing the first ten laws in order of importance and the rest can be approached as needed for the situation. Okay, that helps!
I found Law #1 so powerful that I didn’t need anything else beyond that. With all the things to weigh, analyze, juggle and balance, Dr. Foster suggests to just stop making everything so complicated and, instead, focus on the most important thing.
There is often one factor/consideration/goal/issue that deserves a lot more weight than anything else. It will most often have to do with what you want for yourself based on your hopes and dreams for the long term. This dovetails nicely into the important “Why?” or purpose statement for your career/life (which we develop during the GROW Group course.) Once you have some clarity on that, your decisions can reflect your values, hopes and dreams.
Try it! Apply it to your decision and see if you attain more clarity. If it is not a magic bullet, then buy the book and proceed to Law #2 (Don’t Decide Until You’re Ready) and on through #10 (Do What You Really Want) and beyond.
Let me know how it goes for you. And keep being #ready2grow!
Sue
G.R.O.W. COACHING
Address Your Workplace Challenges from The Inside Out