ReTHINK : Power of decision

Decision was the source of John F. Kennedy's power as he faced off Nikita Khrushchev during the tense Cuban Missile Crisis and averted World War III.

Decision was the source of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s power as he gave voice so eloquently to the frustrations and aspirations of a people who would no

longer be denied, and forced the world to take notice.

Decision was the source of Donald Trump's meteoric rise to the top of the financial world, and also the source of his devastating downfall. It's the power that allowed Pete Rose to maximize his physical abilities to Hall of Fame potential—and then ultimately to destroy his life's dream. Decisions act as the source of both problems and incredible joys and opportunities. This is the power that sparks the process of turning the invisible into the visible.

True decisions are the catalyst for turning our dreams into reality.

The most exciting thing about this force, this power, is that you already possess it you now as you hold this book in your hands. In the very next moment you can use this mighty force that lies waiting within you if you merely muster the courage to claim it. Will today be the day you finally decide that who you are as a person is much more than you've been demonstrating? Will today be the day you decide once and for all to make your life consistent with the quality of your spirit? Then start by proclaiming, "This is who I am. This is what my life is about. And this is what I'm going to do.

Nothing will stop me from achieving my destiny. I will not be denied!"

Consider a fiercely proud individual, a woman named Rosa Parks, who one day in 1955 stepped onto a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and refused to give up her seat to a white person as she was legally required to do. Her one quiet act of civil disobedience sparked a firestorm of controversy and became a symbol for generations to follow. It was the beginning of the civil rights movement, a
consciousness-awakening

Was Rosa Parks thinking of the future when she refused to give up her seat in that bus? Did she have a divine plan for how she could change the structure of a society? Perhaps. But what is more likely is that her decision to hold herself to a higher standard compelled her to act. What a far-reaching effect

one woman's decision has had!

If making decisions is so simple and powerful, then why don't more people follow Nike's advice and "Just Do It"? I think one of the simplest reasons is that most of us don't recognize what it even means to make a real decision. 

We don't realize the force of change that a congruent, committed decision creates. Part of the problem is that for so long most of us have used the term "decision" so loosely that it's come to describe something like a wish list.

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.

Instead of making decisions, we keep stating preferences. Making a true decision, unlike saying, "I'd like to quit smoking," is cutting off any other possibility. In fact, the word "decision" comes from the Latin roots de, which means "from," and caedere, which means "to cut."

When you truly decide you'll never smoke cigarettes again, that's it. It's over! You no longer even consider the possibility of smoking. If you're one of the people who's ever exercised the power of decision this way, you know exactly what I'm talking about. An alcoholic knows that even after years of absolute sobriety, if he fools himself into thinking that he can take even one drink, he'll have to begin all over again. After making a true decision, even a tough one, most of us feel a tremendous amount of relief. We've finally gotten off the fence! And we all know how great it feels to have a clear, unquestioned objective.

Making a true decision means committing to achieving a result, and then cutting yourself off from any other possibility.ground swell that we are grappling with even today as we redefine the meaning of equality, opportunity, and justice for all Americans regardless of race, creed, or sex. . The explosive impetus of decision is not something reserved for a select few with the right credentials or money or family background. It's available to the common laborer as well as the king. It's available to

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Business Killing Acronym

Not Invented Here is a common organizational syndrome:  If my company — or I — didn’t think of it, it must be worthless.  (A close cousin to NIH is IHBLR, Invented Here But Let’s Reinvent It Anyway.) 

Individuals also fall prey to NIH.  Everyone has worked for a boss who hated any idea we proposed unless we found ways to make him think it was his idea.

NIH can affect anyone:  Supervisors, managers, and especially executives and business owners — because the root of all NIH evil is ego.  The higher you rise, the greater the risk of NIH infection.

If you or your business has a chronic case of NIH, here are a few antidotes:

• Focus on the idea, not the originator. People at all levels of the organization have good ideas.  Assuming an entry-level employee’s ideas will be worthless is just as foolish as assuming your boss always has great ideas. Gold wrapped in cellophane is just as valuable as gold wrapped in velvet; the value is in the gold.  With ideas, value is in the idea, not where the idea comes from.
• Focus on the idea, not the industry. I learned more about increasing manufacturing efficiency from spending thirty minutes in a poultry processing plant than I learned from any formal process improvement program.  (And I’ve gone through — and led — a bunch of programs.)  Keep an open mind and sometimes the best ideas can be borrowed from other industries.
• Focus on the idea, not your ego. Being in charge doesn’t make you smarter, savvier, or more creative.  Being in charge just makes you the one in charge; leaders aren’t granted a monopoly on great ideas.  Don’t hesitate to let others shine.  If one of your employees comes up with a great idea, it reflects well on you: You’re a great leader!  You’re developing great employees!  You deserve a raise!  (Okay, maybe not the last one.)
• Hold a “something borrowed” session. Next time you meet to brainstorm, tell everyone they can only suggest ideas they’ve be successful somewhere else.  That automatically removes NIH from the equation since any suggestions by definition were invented elsewhere.

Reinventing the wheel can be expensive and time-consuming.  Plus there is no guarantee of success.  Often mediocre companies are stuck in an endless loop of NIH.

Business-Killing Acronym : LSD

Lead Singer Disease describes a singer in a rock band whose ego grows unchecked and eventually breaks up the band.   (Or starts judging American Idol.)

LSD can also describe any CEO, business owner, or manager whose ego outstrips his or her performance.

Want to know if you have LSD?  Diagnosing the condition is easy.  In the last month, did you:

• Make a mistake?
• Admit you were wrong?
• Have any bad ideas?
• Say, “I’m sorry”?

If you answered “no” to all of the above (or, really, any of the above) you have LSD.

Here’s the cure:

• Talk less — a lot less. No interrupting, no digressing, no hijacking conversations in progress. LSD runs screaming from silence — your silence.
• Listen more. Ask for an employee’s opinion or input and then actually listen.  Keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself.  If you must speak, only ask clarifying questions.  You’ll be surprised by how smart your employees really are once your LSD is into remission.
• Let others run with a project — and stay out of their way. A primary symptom of LSD is the compulsion to inject your own thoughts and suggestions into an employee’s idea.  When you do, you kill the employee’s motivation.  If their idea needs tweaking, ask leading questions to help them identify the necessary modifications themselves.  In short:  Let an employee’s idea remain the employee’s idea.

Feel free to convert LSD as applicable:  Lead Supervisor Disease, Lead Salesperson Disease, Lead CEO Disease… the LSD shoe can fit a lot of feet.  Just make sure it doesn’t fit yours..

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