Debra Kasowski

9 Simple Strategies to Improve Your Decision-Making Skills

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When decisions need to be made, most people evaluate their options with the tried-and-true list of pros and cons. Although this may be helpful, it is not always the most effective decision-making tool. For example, if someone asks you if you can complete a task, you may you look at your to-do list to see if you can fit on your list versus checking your calendar to see if you have any available time. If you do use a pros and cons list, use it to help make your decisions with the understanding and focus on your goal to ensure that you will be on the right track. The one question people often fail to ask is: How will this decision get me closer to that outcome or results I desire?”

“You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.”
― Michelle Obama

If it doesn’t, why are you doing it?

There are simple strategies that you can implement that will improve your decision-making skills.

  1. Goal/Outcome: Be clear on what it is you wish to achieve.
  2. Assess:
  • Where are you at?
  • What are the options available?
  • What are the pros and cons?
  • Relevance: Does it take you closer to your goals or further away?
  1. Resources:
  • What are the resources available? How can you mobilize those resources?
  1. Risks:
  • What are the potential risks?
  1. Research – Do your homework. Find out as much you can about a situation and the background. Ask questions.
  • What are the facts? Success rates?
  1. Impact:
  • What and who is impacted by this decision?
  1. Interventions and actions:
  • What steps or actions are necessary to get you closer to your goal?
  • What are the potential risks or obstacles in the way of getting the outcome that you want?
  1. Gut Check/Intuition. What does your gut tell you? Remember not to over analyze everything.
  2. Ask Powerful questions:
  • What is working?
  • What’s not working?
  • What do I need to stop doing?

Now you have all the information you need to make a decision. Separate facts from emotions. When your emotions are high or you feel threatened, it is not a good time to make a decision. Your brain goes into protection mode. Sometimes you need to take some quiet time to think or get into a different environment for a short time. Don’t be afraid to consult others who may have been in similar situations. They may save you some heartache by sharing their experiences. It does not mean history will repeat success or failure. There will be a lesson to learn as with many things in life and business. Each step requires simple actions. Follow them to help you get the results you want to achieve- or better.

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

 

3 Reasons Why You Need to Have a Marketing Plan

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I remember when I first heard people talking about a marketing funnel and filling your pipeline. It all sounded more like oil pipelines and striking it rich with oil that it did about marketing. I now think of the analogy more like striking it rich due to consistently delivering and serving my market.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin

Too many business owners are walking around without of plan of action. They are taking stabs in the dark by trying out random marketing tactics once or twice and abandoning them if they do not work. Even if your plan is on a napkin, it is still a plan!

“If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.”
― Yogi Berra

It is better to have a plan than no plan at all.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

You can always adjust as you go. After all, you are in charge!

There are 3 why you need to have a marketing plan:

FOCUS – A marketing plan captures what your thinking onto paper or in a document on your computer. It creates a vision for your business and growth. The plan offers big picture thinking as well as smaller more detailed planning. There is nothing stopping you from adding an event or workshop along the way to boost your revenue. Ultimately, the market plan helps you focus on what needs to get done to get the results you want.

DECISION MAKING – By writing out the plan, you can make better decisions and save a great deal of time, money, and resources. You will learn where to allocate your resources or delegate tasks to so that you can get the greatest return on your investment.

PROGRESS & ACCOUNTABILITY – One area that is often over looked in planning is the reflection of how far you have come from where you started. When developing your plan, it is important to build in benchmarks or milestones where you can measure your success and celebrate! These benchmarks or milestones can act as an accountability check or reminder of your goals and next steps. Each step along the way build momentum for the next.

Successful marketing NEEDS a plan and you need to consistently work the plan.

There are many ways to market your business! Start with focusing on 2-3 ways and get really great at them and then try something new! You will discover what works for you often through trial and error, however, you will never know if you are on the right track if you never measure the metrics of your efforts. What ways do you market your business?