President's Desk with Joe Harverson

“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious than being able to decide.”

Napoleon Bonaparte

All of us at Alaron are tasked with making decisions on a daily basis both at work and in our personal lives. Some decisions involve little consequence and some decisions can change our lives. Decision making is an art and although I don’t profess to be on the cutting edge of this art, I would like to offer some guidance that I believe is universal to all decision making.

It is important to realize that everything we do is a result of a decision and I mean everything. From the time we wake in the morning to the time we drop off to sleep in the evening we constantly make decisions. We must decide, since we always have choices. There is no such condition as: “I have no choice”. You always have choices. It is a matter of our perception of distasteful consequences that make us believe we have no choice. We may believe we have no choice but to live in one place or to work for a living or to continue in a difficult situation, but that is not the case. A quick look around us will reveal people who are acting to the contrary and have obviously chosen to do so. Once we accept that most everything that is happening in our lives is a result of our own choices we realize that we have the power to change. This is enormously energizing. We are no longer swept by the tides of life and we can no longer blame others for our situations. I cannot overstress the importance of this concept. We have the power to choose!

Now that we accept that we have this power, how will we wield it? We can wield it as a sword indiscriminately slashing our way through life’s jungle, we can sheath the sword and let the jungle of life overgrow us or we can draw the sword in times of need and only slice through the vines and underbrush that are in our path. These three metaphors correspond to three types of decision making. “Slashing through” is emotional decision making with little thought or reflection. It allows us to move forward but can cause a lot of collateral damage. Many managers use this method in the mistaken belief that it depicts strength and gets the job done. It is a belief not shared by their subordinates who are injured from a random stroke. Sheathing the sword is not making a decision or indecision. Many people fear to decide since they will be held to account for their decision and just hope in not making a decision the situation will somehow solve itself. Although there are certain situations where not making a decision is a good decision in itself, not making any decisions can result in some unexpected consequences. Drawing the sword in times of need is what I call “cool heads prevail”. You realize a decision must be made and that you can make it, the consequences are considered and measured, sometimes advice is solicited, and then afterward only the slices that need to be made are made.

Avoid making a decision in the white heat of emotion -- the collateral damage can be high. Don’t avoid decisions or the resulting situation could be totally unexpected. Take some time to reflect. This time could be minutes or days depending on the complexity of the situation. Use your power to choose carefully.

Cool heads prevail
Indecision is a decision