How to Make Aligned Decisions
use your purpose and the rest of your Core strategy
Photo by Setyaki Irham on Unsplash
Adults make more than 35,000 decisions per day.
Some decisions are simple — or at the very least, low impact (what do I wear today?). Others are complex and high impact (do we make this pivot as a business?).
It's hard to give all the decisions we make the deliberate thought they require.
One solution is to increase the number of easy decisions by relying on routine or process. For example, I wear basically the same thing every day so I can eliminate those decisions from my day. When your business adopts processes, it does the same.
Then comes the tough part of disciplining yourself to reason through the high-impact decisions.
Good news: being purpose-driven makes it a little easier.
When I talk about purpose, I often say that your purpose is a lens. That’s because a lens facilitates perception, comprehension, or evaluation. It can be calibrated and focused.
Here's how it works:
Does this decision align with my purpose? Can I make a reasonable case for it?
If the answer is no, discard the option or opportunity. You'll be amazed how many things get cleared away, which makes decision-making easier.
If the answer is yes, you have a few more questions because, in practice, you use not only your purpose but most of your Core strategy:
Does it help us achieve our outcomes and ultimately our vision? Can I make the case for it?
Mentally outline a brief plan of action. Does it align with our purpose and mission, and can we take it on within the practices of our values?
Now you’ve increased the odds that these high-impact decisions will move you forward.
And the process will become habit over time so you can take on the next decision with confidence.
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