A New Year, New Decisions to be Made

By Jana Kemp

 

With the last decade’s influx of technology and daily data downloads, it seems increasingly difficult to make decisions and accomplish work. How many of your workplace discussions are creating positive action toward achieving goals? If your answer is “too many,” “some” or even “most these days,” then it is time to exert your power of influence on how decisions get made and how follow-up action occurs.

 

At our house, we talk often with our kindergartner about “using that good brain of yours to make a good, safe decision.” Many decisions can be made based on the sole criteria of “is it safe to do?” Yet, many times safety discussions fail to happen unless it is an OSHA required training or tracking item.

 

In my business, I talk to organizations about getting best-possible decisions made. Two of the five books I’ve written focus on decision making and provide models for making best-possible decisions. Here is one of the models you can implement when making personal and professional decisions.

 

The Power of NO Model is from the book now in six languages: NO! How One Simple Word Can Transform Your Life (AMACOM)

P – Purpose: what is the purpose of each request you receive or each problem to be solved?

O – Options: what resources, people, budget are available to fulfill the request?

W – When: what are the fixed and negotiable deadlines tied to your saying “yes”?

E – Emotions: how do you and others really feel about this request? How will it affect our ability to act?

R – Rights and Responsibilities: Whether you say “yes” or “no” there are rights such as “keeping my job” and responsibilities “do what I said I’d do” tied to every decision.

 

The applicability of the POWER model ranges from strategic planning discussions to daily decision making in one’s personal life. Once we implement improved decision making, we can begin to explore just how great and how positive the improved results and productivity can be.

At the end of any given hour, what we are left with is that which is in our own realm: personal and professional decision making. No room for waffling and indecision – we’ve all seen that play out and been frustrated. As the new year begins, now is the time for clear and best-possible decisions. Get talking, make decisions, and act accordingly.

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Jana Kemp founded Meeting & Management Essentials in 1993 which focuses on improving meeting, time, and decision-management skills for individuals and organizations. She is the author of five books: Moving Meetings, No! – How One Simple Word Can Transform Your Life, Building Community in Buildings (2007); Moving Out of the Box (2007); and in 2008, Prepared Not Paranoid .  Her books have been translated into Polish, Turkish, Dutch, Arabic and Chinese.

         Jana has also served as a business columnist and a business segment provider on radio and television both locally and nationally. She is the publisher of the quarterly online newsletter Better Meetings for Everyone.  In 2008, she teamed up with her co-author Ken Baker and business colleague Suzie Hall to form GreenSteps, LLC. GreenSteps offers business consulting services focused on sustainable and high-performing building business practices.

        For more information call 208-367-1701 or visit www.JanaKemp.com or www.GreenSteps.us