|
Build Your Career Decision By Decision
Do you dislike making decisions and avoid the challenge whenever you can? Take heart. Look around and you will find you have plenty of company. Management psychologists Irving L. Janis and Leon Mann say people tend to be "reluctant decision makers" because they are "beset by conflict, doubts and worry." They explain that people "seek relief by procrastinating, rationalizing and denying responsibility" in making choices. This human tendency creates a big vacuum. Its name is opportunity! "Organizations cannot function, certainly cannot succeed, without good decision-makers. Organizations reward those men and women who are willing and able to fill those roles," according to Ramon Greenwood, senior career counselor at www.CommonSenseAtWork.com Therefore, opportunities are available for those who are willing and able to come to grips with decision-making. It's the very essence of management. Success depends on being confident and reasonably comfortable with the process. Of course, success also requires a good batting average of right decisions. That doesn't mean you have to be right all of the time; it means be right more often than wrong. Why People Shy Away From Decisions It helps to understand some of the reasons why people dislike making decisions. All decisions encompass some degree of irrevocability. Once a decision has been made there is no returning to square one. There is a price tag attached to every decision. There are bound to be winners and losers. Decisions expose us to attention. We may lack confidence in our ability to make decisions. We may not know how to make decisions. These facts of life breed the kinds of stress that make some people so uncomfortable they had rather let others call the shots and take home the rewards. Others are willing to stick their heads in the sand and let the issues go unresolved. How To Make Better Decisions You can improve your tolerance for making decisions and do a better job at it by embracing a few common sense ideas. It is important to realize that although each decision carries with it certain consequences, no outcome is likely to be the raging success or the unmitigated catastrophe we tend to imagine. You will not be a good decision maker if your goal is always to avoid losing rather than always trying to win. Nobody in his or her right mind can expect to be right 100 percent of the time. Besides that, as I have already said, you don't always have to be right in order to come out an overall winners. You can't afford to be defensive about decisions that turn out to be wrong. When you are wrong, and you will be from time to time, admit it and go on. If you want to be a good decision-maker don't get hung up waiting for all of the facts before coming to a conclusion. Satisfy your self that you understand the issue and have weighed all of the options. Test the alternative solutions among those who know the situation and will be impacted by the decision. Decide. Act. Learn to trust your intuition. Hunches are not random bolts out of the blue. They are rooted in all the knowledge and experience you have accumulated in general and with regard to the issue at hand. Decisions surrounding major issues should be broken into smaller, manageable parts. Take the parts one at a time; come to conclusions in sequence. Resist being pressured into making a decision before you are ready to decide and act. All problems do not require immediate answers. Sometimes issues resolve themselves or just go away. Don't base decisions on popularity. Or on friendship. Make Decisions To Grow Nobody says you have to play the game as decision makers. But before deciding your role, but keep in mind how the real world works. Organizations grow and profit only to the extent that their managers make good decisions. Therefore, ambitious organizations need and will pay to get men and women who can make decisions. People who have that ability are in limited supply. This means there are opportunities to gain positions of leadership and earn the material rewards that go to those persons who have the ability and courage to make decisions. The choice is yours. Make a decision today. For more information on achieving success in the world of work visit www.CommonSenseAtWork.com Ramon Greenwood is former senior vice president of American Express; a professional director for various businesses; a consultant; a published author of career related books and a syndicated column. Senior career counselor for http://www.CommonSenseAtWork.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Jobs City of Rochester (.gov)
Careers Washington State University
Careers The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation
JobFeed NSW Department of Education
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
5 Proven Steps To Easily Master The Art Of The Interview And Get The Bartending Job Of Your Dreams!
Your mouth is dry, your palms are sweaty, your heart is beating so fast it feels like it is going to pop out of your chest!Sound familiar?For most people, interviews are uncomfortable. The mere thought of them causes anxiety and nervousness.
Getting Past Fear
Have you gotten tons of career advice, solicited and unsolicited? You nod when you hear it and think, "Yeah, I know this stuff." So, what else is new?But what have you done with the advice? Fess up.
Reinvent Your Career In Five Simple Steps
The phrase "reinventing yourself" seems to be popping up all over lately. Just a few days ago a friend asked me how he could do it without starting completely over.
Seminars: Why Are They Popular, and What Advantages/Disadvantages Are There to Attending One?
Seminars dealing with "special topics" have actually been around for decades, and are an older form of marketing and information exchanges, that have seen quite a resurgence of interest in the past ten years.Seminars are simply a group of people coming together for the discussion and learning of specific techniques and topics.
What Your Guidance Counselor, Career Counselor, and Own Mother Probably Never Told You...
The alarm clock jars you awake at some insanely early hour. As you hit the snooze button you think, "there's gotta be a better way to make a living.
Use Job Search Hacks to Get Hired Faster
Job searching alone is like hitchhiking a scary ride with an unknown stranger on a 180-mile long deserted, no-exit road with hopes you'll make your destination. When you lack time or expertise to plan career moves carefully, sometimes the loss of ground is not apparent until years later.
How To Start Your Own House Cleaning Business
If you are thinking about starting your own house cleaning business, begin by evaluating your present circumstances. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but how you reply will affect what you do.
Successful Job Interview Tips
Congratulations! You've finally landed that job interview you've been waiting for. Now the real work begins! Remember, resumes don't get jobs; they merely get you in the door.
Seven Success Tips For Recent Graduates Entering the Professional World
1) Build a Relationship With Your BossLike it or not, no single individual has a greater impact on your career future than your direct supervisor. So, how do you get on their good side from the start? Managers want to feel that you truly care, and that you are "in it with them" as a team.
How To Become A Computer Consultant
Have you ever wanted to become a computer consultant, but you weren't sure if you could cut it? Do you have a basic understanding of computer-systems, strong problem-solving skills, and a desire to help other people? If so, then you already possess the main abilities and traits that you need to become a computer consultant.In this article, we'll look at the business opportunities for computer consultants, the reasons why there will almost always be a strong need for good computer consultants, and what it takes for you to achieve success if you want to become a computer consultant.
Job Search Blurts
I coined this word to draw attention to the nervous and apprehensive way of saying something in the job search that makes you feel like a buffoon. A "blurt" is a catchy way of saing: Gaffe.
Adapting To Change In A Changing World
Have you learnt a new skill or improved upon your existing skill in the last six months to one year?According to the world acclaimed management guru and Writer Professor Peter Drucker - "The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning news skills. Everything else will become obsolete over time.
The Importance of Background Verification
Today's society has created an environment that requires business owners to be armed with numerous tools. Many employers currently spend little time verifying the accuracy of employment applications and the cost of not doing normal due diligence can be staggering.
How to Ask For a Salary Increase and Get Your Raise
Feeling overworked and underpaid? If you're starting to feellike you deserve a raise, here are eight DO's and DON'Ts to buildyour confidence and tact (and what to avoid!) in asking for thesalary you feel you deserve.DO1.
Marketing You and Your Career
Imagine if a business invested years into the research, design, and creation of a new product, and then failed to tell anybody about it. What if the company assumed (even expected) that consumers should discover their new product, just because it was â??greatâ??? Flawed logic, right? Yet, thatâ??s how many people treat their careers! They spend years learning a trade, gaining education, and writing resumes - but do nothing to promote themselves.
The Top 10 Reasons to have a Career Coach
Many people in the last decade have experienced for themselves either a layoff or termination. Some of these people affected have experienced outplacement-consulting services.
Work In Dubai
Dubai is home to an exciting, diverse, multi-cultural blend of young, dynamic and professional people all enjoying the unrivalled quality of life the Emirate has to offer. It is of absolutely no surprise therefore that Dubai has the fastest growing population in the world.
What Every Employee Should Know About How to Overcome Boredom
Do you find yourself easily becoming bored or tired at work for no apparent reason? If that's the case, then pay close attention. Research has shown that fatigue and a worn-out feeling are often caused by unproductive mental attitudes.
Job Dissatisfaction
Job dissatisfaction is a driving force behind individuals seeking employment elsewhere. When evaluating your employment it is important to distinguish between the work you do and your workplace.
The Springtime of Your Career
Rick Jarow, author of Creating the Work You Love, introduced many of us to the notion of career seasons. When we're struggling with a career, we're most likely to think of winter.
|