part 2 of 2

Not all difficult decisions are negative. Some positive and fun decisions are also hard to make. Having a reproducible process for making decisions increases your chances of consistently making the right decisions.

In the sales business, you constantly make decisions from the moment you wake up and set daily goals and priorities to the moment you set an agenda for the next day. Who do you spend your precious time with today? What strategy do you use with each client? Does this last phone call warrant your immediate attention, or does it postpone attention until your prospecting objectives are met? Who do you have a face-to-face date with today and what clothes are the most suitable for such dates? Etc etc. etc…

In part one, we discuss three decision-making tools to augment the process you use to make the decisions you can comfortably live with. In the second part I will add two more theories that you can add to your repertoire.

Get in touch with your intuitive self

Many of us have met people who naturally have a strong intuitive side, and it seems that these people can come up with the best ideas and the most creative solutions with ease. You, on the other hand, may have to rely on your logical and analytical talents and information gathering skills to arrive at decisions you are comfortable with. There are ways to become more intuitive:

1. Gather as much information as you can

Especially if it’s an area you’re not very familiar with. Be careful with selective information. Get information from those closest to the problem. Be sure to take into account your own selective reporting biases.

2. Give yourself permission to brainstorm

Too often, we don’t allow ourselves to “fly” to come up with outrageous scenarios in the hope of finding a solution. This is especially evident in group decision making, where each member of the group is reluctant to bring new ideas to the table. Change the ground rules and tell everyone that it’s okay to work “from scratch,” even if those ideas haven’t been thought of.

3. Know the difference between left brain and right brain thinking

The left side of the brain is logically oriented and the right side is the creative and intuitive problem solver. When people say to you “This decision seems right to me”, consciously or not, they have allowed their right brain to work on the problem. What normally happens in group decision making is that everyone focuses on left-brain thinking. People pass spreadsheets, market analysis, and other left-brain material, and each member of the group begins to work left-brain style. But when the left brain is working, the right brain shuts down. Add stress to the mix and your right brain won’t have a chance to surface.

4. More information on “Information”

Have you ever noticed that when you stop working on something and come back to it later, you get a better solution? This process is also known as the Insight process, those “Aha’s”, or moments you’ve had where suddenly everything becomes crystal clear. One way to help this process is to change your physical environment. Instead of sitting at your desk and letting your left brain take over, move to a different place. Driving in your car may work for you. Or maybe you’ve noticed that more ideas come to you in the shower. Everyone comes up with real winners during the holidays, when you can feel the sand between your toes and hear the roar of the waves. Air travel is also a source of right-brain activity for some people. Have you seen the US Air TV commercial where a night sky is filled with hundreds of light bulbs? Another way to facilitate the Insight process without getting up from your seat in your office is to simply close the door, close your eyes, and take five slow, deep breaths. This will change your mindset immediately, helping your left brain calm down and allowing your right brain to take over.

5. Put mother nature to work for you!

Most of us have had wild ideas that come to us just before we fall asleep, just before we wake up, and certainly during our dreams. Mother Nature makes sure that we turn off our bodies every day of our lives. It is at those times of the night and early morning that our right brain has free reign over our entire mind. She captures those thoughts. Write them down or tape them immediately after experiencing them… even if she doesn’t know what to do with the thought, because those thoughts are slippery little ones that are hard to remember even minutes after we think them. She will be surprised at how much more creative she will become by making this process a routine.

Check your original premise

Work with solutions and choose the best one. If you have the luxury, sit with that solution overnight or for a couple of days. Then go back and review your original premise. Take a look at what you were originally trying to achieve. If your choice still feels correct and makes logical sense, without any modification, then it is the correct decision.

I hope this makes your decision-making process more enjoyable the next time you’re faced with an important one.