Welcome to Elements!
Elements is back, after almost a year-long hiatus!
Elements is a newsletter dedicated to awareness and sharing.
It is published about 6 times a year. To see back issues go
to www.stardar.com/resources/newsletters
During this interim phase, it’s been rewarding to
have people ask me when the next issue of Elements will be
appearing. During the hiatus, I’ve been busy. I now hold official
certification as a professional coach (for more about what
that means please see the “Coaching notes” section in this
newsletter). I’ve been coaching, consulting and speaking at
many different business organizations and professional groups.
One topic I’m passionate about and have brought to many audiences
is decision making – its subtleties, complexities, and what
kinds of tools can be useful in helping make good  decisions.
Making a conscious decision implies making a choice about
something that then moves you or your team on to some kind
of purposeful action. The process of making a decision at
a certain point is crucial to what kinds of actions then unfold
in the future.
On the personal side, after 20 years my marriage ended. I
truly credit my willingness to exercise and incorporate quality
decision-making techniques during, and in the aftermath of,
this transition process as one of the ingredients in my happiness
today. Life is currently very good for me and my two very
active sons, certainly better than I would have initially
imagined!
The regular features you have come to expect in each
issue of Elements are still here -- links to interesting sites,
events, coaching notes, and in this issue you will also find
a new section I’m trying -- a mini-review section of books
I’ve recently read. I read lots of fiction and non-fiction!
I’m also now using an email distribution service
to help me keep track of all your emails. This version of Elements
is going out to over 400 subscribers.
And, as always, I’d love your feedback about what
kinds of things you would like to see covered in future editions
of Elements.
Stay warm!
Star (978) 486-4603
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2. Decision Making: A Whole Path, Not Just
a Destination
Sometimes you may only realize in hindsight
that a small decision you made along the way had an effect
on the entire outcome of your project/plan. Surprisingly,
you may find that a seemingly small decision affected your
ability to ultimately reach your goal. You make hundreds of
decisions every day--what to wear, what to eat, what meetings
to attend, what people to communicate with, what emails to
read. The decisions you make directly influence the actions
you take that then lead to results, desired or undesired,
now or in the future. A person or team’s results and fulfillment
are made or broken by the decisions they make.
A decision is defined as passing a judgment or reaching
a conclusion; an end point. Decision making is the process
that leads to a decision. A good decision-making process leads
to a quality decision—one that you don’t have to worry about
second-guessing, and one that provides the best chances for
a successful outcome. People make many decisions every day
just by rote or out of habit. But for important personal or
professional areas that you have targeted for positive change,
the decision-making process cannot be one that is done on
“automatic pilot.” For quality results, the decision-making
process itself needs to be brought to the surface and made
conscious.
Here is a suggested checklist for things to consider
in navigating stuck places, and moving on to be able to make
quality, conscious decisions:
1. Clarity about
the Decision
-
Write down what actually needs to be decided
-
Be as specific as possible
-
Have a targeted time to make the decision
-
List any limitations or boundaries that affect your
ability to make this decision
-
Check to
see if it the decision you need to make is being formed
at the appropriate level of decision making. You can
do this by experimenting with the Up/Down Exercise below.
2. Make your decision
making a quality process, bring in all relevant dimensions
that can help. Things like:
-
Knowledge
of your own preferred decision-making style Try approaching
the decision using different "access points"
- Logic, heart or gut/instinct
-
Knowledge
of your own values and how they relate to the decision
at hand
-
Use any
tools that may help you unearth, visualize, conceptualize
or organize your decision-making “data”: Spreadsheets,
process facilitation, mind maps
-
Verify
that the “facts” you are working with are accurate
-
Check
your assumptions on what you think you know (in reality,
how accurate are these assumptions?)
-
Consider
the impact of the decision outcome to yourself and to
others
-
Allow
yourself to explore as many choices as possible. Don’t
shut down your options until you need to; move things
along.
-
Consider
Fairness – For decisions that are not yours alone to make,
include all those who are involved in some form -- they
are the other “stake-holders” in your decision.
-
Be collaborative
and, when appropriate, allow others into the process of
researching your choices or helping you in your decision
making.
-
Be realistic
about what needs to be decided, by when, and what the
repercussions would be if a decision is not made, or if
a less-than-ideal decision is made.
3 Analysis of the decision
-
Be clear about what all of your choices are
-
Analyze the choices you have listed. What is the
worst and the best that can happen with each choice?
-
Allow time to “try on” the different choices as you
consider them.
4 Action
-
Make the decision
-
Communicate and document the decision (to those who
need to know and those you want to know)
-
Celebrate it
-
Get feedback on the decision-making process (ask those
involved how the process could be improved next time
around)
-
Determine whether you are willing to re-make the decision
if circumstances change along the line.
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3. Getting Clarity on Decisions: Up/Down
Tool
This exercise is used to get clarity on what the
real decision that you need to make is when you find yourself
embarking on a decision-making process. It is also used when
you seem to be stuck in making a decision.
Start with the decision to be made, and then figure
out the decision level that exists “above” (a broader perspective)
and the level “below” (a more concrete perspective) the level
of the decision you are currently trying to make. I’ve given
two examples below, one work-related and one personal. If
you are stuck at a certain level, moving “up” or “down” a
level can help you to see if a decision simply needs to be
made at a different level first in order to clarify things
in the level that you are snagged at.
Example – Should I hire this person?
Up: What skills, experience and beliefs do I want
in a person for that job?
Up Up: How important is that job to furthering the
company’s mission?
Up Up Up: What is the mission of the company?
Down: What choices do I have?
Down: What’s the impact if I don’t hire anyone, by
what date?
Down: What are this person’s salary and start time?
Down: Is this person right for the job?
Example – How much weight do I want to lose before
spring?
Up: How important is losing weight to my priorities
in life?
Up: What values that I hold are being honored by
losing weight?
Up: What benefits will I see from having lost weight?
Down: What plan will I use to lose weight?
Down: How will I keep myself accountable to my weight
loss?
Down: What new actions and behaviors do I need to
develop?
As you can see, the whole subject of decision making
is one that I find endlessly fascinating and useful, for myself
and others. It appeals to me from an “engineering/results”
point of view, as well as a “learning/growing point of view!
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4. Links
Spyware, Stop Annoying Ads -
www.lavasoft.de/support/download/
This freeware made
surfing the Internet so much better once I downloaded it and
got rid of those annoying ads. Lavasoft is the provider of
anti Trackware solutions. They have developed several applications
that will provide you with the means to keep your computer
or network free of those compromising and intrusive threats
to your privacy.
Time Management Profile -
www.fcprofiles.com/focus To discover where you are
really spending your time and effort, take this short quiz.
Games -
www.addictinggames.com
Don’t go here unless you have
time to waste!
My recent favorites have been text twister, big money and
animal bridge.
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5. Coaching Notes - Star Dargin CPCC
After logging hundreds
of hours over 3 years, and passing an oral test and written
one, I can now take my place among the dedicatd people who
have those letters after their name. The CPCC stands for Certified
Professional Coactive Coach.
Achieving certification was important to me for several
reasons: I take coaching seriously and want to make sure I
am not inadvertently misguiding or harming anyone. I want
to contribute to my own credibility as well as that of the
coaching profession; my certification allows me to offer the
highest quality services, which in turn allows people to form
positive associations with and perceptions of the coaching
profession. Coaching is a relatively new profession and there
are many types and style of coaches. With this range of style
and content, four states are currently considering regulating
coaching like other trades or professions.
What people I coach have in common is that,
because of their business or their nature, or perhaps both,
they are life-long learners. They routinely find themselves
involved in change that may require some perspective or support,
or they have a goal they want to achieve. They, perhaps more
than anyone on a daily basis, know that important decisions
can’t be made on “automatic pilot.” They are smart, motivated
and willing to examine professional and life circumstances
in an open way.
This is work I love to do. If you are at a crossroads
or any kind of pivotal time, and want help with clarity about
your options and results, or even if you are just curious
about what the coaching process could offer you, please call
or email me for a complimentary coaching sample.
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6. Books: Eat a Frog; Five People
Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating
and Get More Done in Less Time , by Brian Tracy
In a short 144 pages all the most efficient hints,
tips and ways to organize your time for your fulfillment and
accomplishment is summarized. I’ve read many longer and more
detailed books on time management. This author seems to have
read some of the same ones I have and summarized them nicely.
Many of these tips you already know, may already be doing,
and others you know you probably should do! Each of the 21
short sections ends with a series of questions to ask yourself
how you are doing in this area. This was the book, which finally
convinced me, after 10+ years of using the paper version of
the Franklin Planner to move to a personal digital
assistant, PDA.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven , by
Mitch Albom Eddie, the maintenance man for an amusement
Park, dies at the beginning of the book. Then he meets 5 people
in heaven and each one reveals more information about his
life, the meaning of it and connections within it, and each
has a lesson for him. This book is a quick, easy read and
is beautifully written. After reading it, I’m left wondering,
and you might wonder for yourself, who would greet me after
I die and what lessons would they have for me?
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7. Events
Virtual Leader, April 15, 16, Sheraton Tara, Lexington,
MA
http://www.heiterconnect.com/
Miscommunication can be costly in terms of lost time and
broken trust. Learn concrete strategies for distance management
and virtual team leadership. Come away with an action plan
that can be immediately applied to your company's unique challenges
Boston University Project Leadership and Communication
http://www.bu.edu/global/diploma/project_management
To succeed in management you must be a strong leader and
an effective communicator. This course looks at the current
philosophies of leadership as applied to management, and identifies
various styles of communication and conflict resolution. Through
case studies and various exercises you will hone your own
leadership, communication, conflict management and negotiation
skills.
AdventuRide - Bike Rides
http://www.AdventuRide.netfirms.com
Join us for a new bicycling adventure
each week as we explore scenic roads and enough civilized
off-road routes to keep things interesting. We are mere
mortals who believe "fitness is fun" - and that a bad day
outdoors beats a good day indoors. We'll get great exercise
and discover new places together. Starting locations vary each
week, but will be within 1/2 drive of Littleton, MA.
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8. Newsletter Notes
Elements March
2004
Written by: Star Dargin
Edited by: Diane Johns
Personal submissions will only be published with
permission from the submitter, who is responsible for ensuring
rights to the material. Based on your preference, submissions
can be published anonymously.
The opinions expressed in Elements are the author's
viewpoint. While every effort has been taken to verify the
accuracy of the content, such information is subject to change
without notice. Elements is not responsible for inadvertent
errors.
Star Dargin is an independent executive and leadership coach,
and consultant. She collaborates with individuals and teams
to provide focus and balance in achieving results. top
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