We all have an inner voice that we listen to and draw conclusions from. That voice in your head drives your decision-making, and your decision-making determines your outer results.
I worked with Stephen, a business owner as his trusted advisor. During our time together, my biggest success personally was to challenge his conclusions. In doing so I helped him trust his own instincts to become a better decision-maker and thus get better results.
Stephen had a habit of sharing important decisions with inexperienced managers instead of trusting himself. This lack of trust turned into a mind-grind where he wasted valuable time in indecision. Stephen had come to the conclusion that his managers had the right to equal say about his investments in the company.
I challenged Stephen’s conclusion. Stephen’s managers, as valuable as they were to him were not partners. They had never invested in the business. They joined his company with neither experience nor wisdom.
Like Stephen, we all have a voice inside our head, and we often believe every word the voice utters. The voice (thoughts in your head) turn into a never-ending loop where you lose.
Here’s a quick example:The voice tells you how your poor business results are your employee’s fault. Since you didn’t notice the voice, you believe your thoughts. As a result you get angry and lash out. The result is your employee loses trust and is afraid of you. Then the voice tells you you’re a bad person and makes you believe you have an anger problem. You lose confidence and retreat into avoidance.You now avoid painful performance conversations. After all someone might cry, or you might blow up again.
You are stressed and your employee is unsure of how to succeed. There is a lack of clarity in your organization. It’s just a matter of time before your employee leaves, or you have to let him go. It never dawns on you that with a little coaching your employee could meet your expectations.
The voice in your head runs your business without you even knowing it. Your inner conclusions determine outer results.
Until you take charge of the conversation in your head you will get trapped in the mind-grind and your ineffective decision-making will lead to poor conclusions and ultimately poor business results.
Bottom Line: To make good decisions, you must take charge of the conversations in your head.
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Marlene Chism is a consultant, international speaker and the author of “Stop Workplace Drama” (Wiley 2011) and the author of “No-Drama Leadership (Bibliomotion 2015). Visit her website, and connect via LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.