Great leaders are great decision makers. Regardless of where you are right now, you can increase your effectiveness with these 3 easy steps.
 
Don’t assume. An assumption is the lowest form of knowledge. Before you even start to create a solution, you have to identify the real problem. Never rely on assumptions for major decisions. When someone comes to you with a problem, don’t assume that they are even clear on what the real problem is. Ask clarifying questions like, “Tell me more about that?” or “Why do you feel it’s important?” or "What solutions have you considered?" Getting genuine input from others will help clarify the real problem.
 
Make space. Great decisions and great ideas come when you empower every available resource within you. You have an incredible amount of experience and knowledge that can be tapped into to create incredible success. Unfortunately, most of us are so bombarded with attention sucking outside pressures from email, text messages, social media, and unexpected problems, etc, etc, that most of our resources are already occupied. The good news is that making space doesn’t require a lot of time. It could mean putting on noise canceling headsets and taking a few breaths to stop the distracting thoughts and give your complete focus on the one decision that must be made right now. 
 
Take off the rose-colored glasses. After you have come up with a solution, play the devil’s advocate with yourself or ask your team members to do so. Try to think of the worst-case scenario. Decisions that have not been implemented tend to look good on paper and in our minds. Try to avoid implementation problems by working through any known or imagined obstacles ahead of time. This process won't eliminate all post implementation obstacles but, if your rose-colored glasses are fully off and you are being realistic with yourself-- and your team-- you can avoid many of them. 
 
In the end, improving your decision making skills will build confidence in your team and create success for your business. 
 
 Live Awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Success Strategist, Awesome Activator
Encourage . Equip . Empower

 After the last two weeks I am ready to make a huge change, more on this later. After a failed attempt to get a school group project off the ground and then a print job with a hard deadline gone terribly wrong, I came to the realization I need to make some changes.

Standing in the crowded UPS store waiting for the print job, while the understaffed single employee jostled phone calls, customers, and my print job, I knew that I had made a poor management decision. I knew I had to make a change. The 20-minute job took almost 2 hours. Standing there I quickly made time adjustments in my head. Ok, if I don’t wash my hair and skip dinner, I can still make it. I was able to squeal into the training event just in time, but I made up my mind to never make those same mistakes again. 

I keep hearing from executives and business owners that the new global economy is forcing them to have to do more with less. I absolutely get it. Managers are feeling hopeless, but there is a way. As companies continue to lean, there is a way you can still grow. Because your capacity to grow as a company is directly related to the capacity of your team. The greatest tools and software will not increase your capacity if your team has reached its limit. Think about it, what makes a great organization? It’s not the walls or the hardware or the fancy decorations. It’s the team.
 
If you and your team have reached your limit, try these tips to increase your capacity.

1. Take a moment. Stress clogs your thinking and reduces your ability to find a timely solution. It is always amazing to me to watch how the solutions materialize during Mastermind groups and Executive coaching moments, when people are free to explore their thoughts without outside distractions. The answer was there all the time. It was just hidden by a myriad of unhelpful thoughts. Know that there is an answer or direction, you just need to unearth it.
2. Resist the urge to blame. Blaming others for where you are takes precious time away from finding a solution. This is far easier said than done. This is why I ended up at the UPS store when I should have been preparing for the training. I blamed others for the problem and lost that precious time to think through to a better solution. With precious time moving forward I made the terrible mistake of defaulting to a time intensive method I almost never use for print jobs.
3. Trust your team. Mistakes are a part of living. Learning from them is optional. If the team makes a blunder--and they will-- and so will you. Teach them to learn and move on. The faster you and your team learns, recovers, and re-configures the move forward, the more you and your team will increase your capacity for accomplishing more with less.
4. Delegate. My default is to do it myself. This is not wise at all in a team situation and I had a rude awakening standing in the crowded UPS store. I had taken on a job that wasn’t mine and it took time I didn’t have to do something I had no business doing. Ask yourself, “What are the things that only you can do?” A team that is micromanaged will never grow to its full capacity. Focus on doing well what only you can do and empower your team to do what they can do. 
5. Keep your mind in the present. The past is over and the only good it can do moving forward is that it brought awareness to a need for change. Wallowing in the faults of the past will slow you and your team in the race to the finish line. Remain in the present and future because that is where you are and where your present needs will materialize. 

 
The good news is that awareness allows you to make positive changes to your future. 


Live Awesomely,
Angela Decoteau (Deck-uh-toe)
Success Strategist, Awesome Activator
Encourage . Equip . Empower