Vision Clarifies Decision Making (Vision Part 3 of 6)
About decision making
Decision making is the most critical cognitive skill that we all have. Our ability to reason and make informed conclusions help us decide how, if and when we are to act on anything. In fact, decision making by definition contains the ability for us to make a purposeful selections from amidst a set of alternatives. We have to constantly negotiate mental objects and concepts to arrive at our process of living. Our ability to do this and do it well affects us on every level; personally, within our relationships and as leaders of organizations. Without well honed decision making skills there is no accurate planning or coordinating, no ability to control situations as we experience them. It’s like being adrift on a stormy sea with no sail or rudder.
The blistering pace of our society makes decision making harder than ever. We have information bearing down on us like a weight that only increases in intensity over time. The phone, the e-mail, the faxes and the text messages alone are the sources of continuous disturbance and tremendous time gaps in our day. Not to mention magazines, newspaper and internet surfing. When are we ever actually productive? When do we have time to sit and think and make personal decisions that lead us to finding our own voice? Why does it seem that most of us are lost?
The very roles that each of us play in our lives are continuously changing and making it extremely difficult to move forward in a meaningful way. Today the very idea of the “good father” has so many angles and gets confused with so many varying and opposing ideas that it’s not a far stretch to say that no one actually knows what “it” is. It’s the same with every other role that we play in life. In fact the child raising strategies and basic life skills of our parents are not likely to work for us in the current age. We need to get back to basic and timeless principles and away from the media driven frenzy that has taken over the very way that we live today. We all need to focus on a vision driven decision making model.
Key characteristics of vision based decision making (VBDM)
There are three key components of VBDM. Each of these three components are absolute. If any one of these components is missing then you have a broken decision making model that will drain resources from you and your organization. I know that your waiting so here goes. Each VBDM that you’ve made or will make has these three components speed, focus and truth.
You will find that as you engage more and more in mission based thinking, it becomes easy to make decisions quickly and improve the accuracy of your outcome predictions. Most would agree that the quality of life itself rests heavily on ones ability to make good choices about beliefs and how to actually conduct the activities of daily living. That being said, it stands to reason that being able to negotiate a fast and accurate decision making model will quicken the pace towards achievement of all kinds. What actually happens is that your decision making muscle gets stronger and more toned the more you engage it correctly. You’ll naturally become more confident and comfortable as you move yourself forward. Decisions will become easier and easier as your vision moves into ever clearer focus and see yourself reaching the finish line with an increasing energy and intensity. You’ll find that when you come to a cross road along life’s journey and a legitimate decision has to made as to which way to go, you’ll have the intestinal fortitude and confident resolve to move on through or to make the appropriate turn more often than not because your final destination will be in focus.
When you engage in VBDM your reticular activator is trained to pay attention to that which needs attention and not the things that take you off track or drain your resources. The universe of your own making will actually call into focus more often things that you should pay attention to and help you navigate the shark infested waters of this age of information. You’ll be so focused that every step you take towards your goal is a rewarding and empowering action that you see as success every time you engage. I call this “righteous action” and it’s how we all should move and negotiate life. It guarantees focus and creates the reason for much needed momentum.
Finally VBDM represents the fundamental truth of who you are. It defines your very existence in many ways and is at once all encompassing, like the air that we breathe and the same time it radiates from us influencing and helping others. You’ll find that the truth of your positions and their inherent wisdom will attract and assist others in their own personal walk of life. People around you will begin to see you as a leader as you model the behavior that your vision dictates and experience the success that comes from the synergy of needs and desires fulfilled.
So great will be your experience of winning that you will feel your sense of self and mission growing with each stage as you achieve your goals. This boost of confidence acts like the initial thrusters of a rocket ship as it helps to break through the atmosphere into outer space.
The media frenzy, the constant bombardment of email, IM, phone calls etc are normally so disruptive that we consider them the norm! It totally makes sense to step back and redirect…focus to move forward effectively. I’ve been in situations where leadership does not make a decision…this is the worst case scenario. It goes without saying that no decision at the personal level is also a show stopper in moving toward your own vision.
Reading this reminds me of the saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Why? Because this blog discusses the fact that we make decisions based on our vision. And when we have a vision that’s powerful, our decisions of what to pursue, and not pursue, are defined by that vision.
Here we see how important it is to get it right – that vision of ours. And make it core, make it real, make it seriously personal. Because what we are going to be doing is focusing on it to the exclusion of other things. Laser beams. Laser beams cut metal. Focus like a laser.
yes, decisions are SO much easier when you have a vision, and within the vision have goals. If I have a clear vision, how to spend my time is never really a question, for the answers are all really “yes” or “no”. Does this activity – ANY activity – take me closer to my vision or goal that is part of my vision? It either does or does not.
EVERY thing. What you watch on TV, what you listen to in the car, what you buy at the store, what you do on Saturday morning, what you read, who your friends are. It is simple and easy and fun and you can get buy-in from everyone. And you will find people will stop coming to you with time wasters and only bring you things that will help move you ahead, because THEY can pre-screen issues for you having the same clarity about your goal as you do. And they will be clear, because you are clear.
If you find your vision isn’t helping you with this, go back to step one. You didn’t really hit on the core vision.
This was very intersting, but it basically talks about what I have always loved doing – flying by the seat of my pants! In other words, without a definitive vision, all my decisions are based on my immediate needs and desires – not on any view of the future. Decision making starts with a vision as a view of the future, and execution is the key to success.
These two ideas jumped right off the page…”being able to negotiate a fast and accurate decision making model will quicken the pace towards achievement of all kinds” and “your decision making muscle gets stronger and more toned the more you engage it correctly.” It’s all coming together – a laser beam vision statement, a tried and true decison making model and an application for every decision we make!
Sheesh. I couldn’t agree more with Marvin’s statement about the blistering pace of our society. I have such a hard time with that because it conflicts with my own personal life vision….to live every moment of my life.
I spent the first 10 years of my career engaging at that blistering pace. It was fun at first, but it just flew by. My kids were little and I missed so much of them because I was on-call or at the office or otherwise engaged in work.
In February of 2002, though, it all changed for me. I woke up in the hospital after suffering a grand mal seizure in the night. I was diagnosed with a large, malignant brain tumor and transferred for emergency surgery. I was informed and asked to consent to a surgery that could, at worst case, kill me and was likely to leave me atleast somewhat impaired mentally, physically or both.
I came through surgery better than expected with little impairment to speak of despite the fact that half or my right frontal lobe had been removed. My family was told to enjoy the time they had with me because I probably would not live for a year.
I went on to 6 weeks of radiation and a full year of chemotherapy. That time is pretty hazy for me, but I was fortunate enough to have great support and caregivers.
Today (almost 7 years later), I am an able-bodied and able-minded person who has chosen to live her life…not just watch it pass by. I no longer live to work, but I work to live and to support and sustain my family which is my true love.
My vision for my business is one that reflects this. I see it as the vehicle that empowers my life and allows me to spend time with my family, making memories and doing the things we want to do. My business needs to become a company that basically runs itself that is a pleasure to own.
I’m coming to realize that the affirmation I taped to my cabinet above my desk is truly my vision for the business…
“I am happy that my company is profitable enough to support my life and that it truly runs on its own, making it a pleasure to own and easy to sell. The offers to buy keep coming in but why would we sell when BJ and I are making so much money with so little effort and headache.”
I think I’m finding my clarity.
This just takes me back to your original thought of if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. Having a vision allows you to narrow the scope and tune out the niff-naff you get from everything.
You are correct. We possibly have more resources and information available to us than any other generation previous and we seem to have lost our way. I feel just bombarded and overwhelmed sometimes with making decisions, particularly those of a professional nature. Overwhelmed to the point of paralysis. The thought of being able to with surity make a decision and be happy with it is mind-numbing!
I agree with the comment that the Universe of your own making will call things into focus. When I am focused on my vision or task, I often find that people come into my presence who have a gift or talent to bring me that I might have missed had I been wandering aimlessly.
The Universe will bring you what you need but because you are focused on where you are going, you will be more inclined to ignore the other diversions that are out there! And as we all know, many of those diversions are fabulous time wasters….The current technology-filled world is full of them!
As you respond from a centered and grounded position, where you are focused on your vision and moving in that direction, people are more likely to assist you. You experience success, your self-confidence will grow, attracting more positive energy.
What a wonderful cycle to be on!
Certainly the first component of VBDM – SPEED – caught my eye. In the past couple of years, I’ve felt that I’ve had the brakes on, but didn’t know how to release them As I learn & grow, the brake is releasing and I learn to drive at a faster & faster pace. Having a clear vision for my path is essential so I don’t miss my turn
FOCUS – I loved Marilyn’s comments about her typical style “flying by the seat of her pants”. One of my strong characteristics is the love of gather as many possible options or opinions as I can – and not leave any person or idea out. It works well for team building and buy-in with a group, but I must watch myself so I don’t use it as an excuse to not make a decision.
TRUTH – Fianly something I feel in total harmony with. Honoring my truth and accepting the truth of others – thay are not always the same, but they are not mutually exclusive.
Thank you for more thought provoking comments!
I agree that having a clear and compelling vision assists in making more effective decisions. There are so many distractions and resources in the world, that it is so often difficult to decide what direction to go to.
As a fairly new business owner, I have run into these issues while building my business. There are so many resources, networking events, articles, contacts, classes, etc., that it is often overwhelming to the point where you don’t know where to focus. Having a clear vision for my business has definitely helped me to make better decisions with my time. Without a vision, I would probably be trying too many things and getting nowhere. However, I think this is still a challenge for many business owners. There are so many choices which makes it difficult to decide a direction at times. Sometimes it’s just trying something and seeing if it works and eliminating what works and doesn’t. But having a vision makes the process easier.
Vision definitely enhances our decision making skills especially when you have so many various opinions coming at you. It’s only when you think deeply about what your unique vision is that you can make the decision that truly resonates with what you stand for.
For many years, my mentor has drilled this into my head. Successful people are quick to make a decision with the best information at that time, and slow to change their minds. This not to be confused with the sometimes solid choice of “DO” nothing at that time. “Restraint of pen and tongue” falls into this category.
The possible fall-down here, for me, is that the goal is more often than not, within someone else’s vision.
This blog struck a chord with me, namely the second paragraph which discusses the constant interruptions we encounter throughout the day. I have read books and articles that talk about dealing with these production hindrances”¦ about assigning each task on my to-do list with a priority, and then only focusing on the top 3 priorities. Unfortunately, sometimes that is just not realistic. There will always be things that need to be done that have nothing to do with my goals or my vision. And yet they do take up a fair amount of time. So I find that the majority of my decisions to make each day are to decide what to spend my time on.
When it comes to building my business, I think Laurie expressed my thoughts better than I could. I sometimes feel almost petrified by the countless options. Developing my VBDM skills, and experiencing the outcome, is something I am greatly looking forward to.
Speed, focus and truth. Wow. That rings so true to me.
I am well-known by my husband as slow to make a decision, especially a big one. (Coach Marvin, I think you’ve seen that too!) Like someone else said above, I have almost “˜prided’ myself with it in a way. I let a choice or option settle in my soul for awhile, and then I make a decision. I live, not by the seat of my pants, but by how I feel. If it feels right (in my heart, my soul, my very being), then I decide on it. I also do not have regrets. Once I make a decision, it is the right and real one for me.
Having said that, I also know what it feels like to absolutely *know* that a decision is right immediately. To have that ease of speed, complete focus, and gut-level truth. Interestingly, I believe that this works for me when I am… quiet. When I take the time to LOOK around me and NOTICE things. To me, it is like noticing the little gifts that God places in my path that are always there, if I but take the time to notice them. Then I am truly in a space of knowing what is right for me, and making easy decisions. I never equated that with my Vision, but I can see that this is what it is.
I very much look forward to being in that quiet space again, and more often.
I have always been quick to make decisions. At times the decision was made quickly simply for the sake of making a quick decision. My vision was not always taken into consideration when the decision was made. The results of this type of decision making, has been haphazard results. A quality vision will provide a quality decision
This just makes sense. Decision making in light of your vision makes your vision more of a reality. It consolidates your beliefs and goals to make things happen according to your desired destination.
So much to think about…..I never thought I had a hard time making decisions, however this blog has made me realize why I may have questioned some of my decisions. By having a clear vision, and making decisions based on the vision would surely make things more purposeful. I look forward to developing my vision and aligning my decision making to it. As I look back to people I have admired, they have known where the wanted to go and have been solid about the decisions they make. Qualities I admire…..qualities to strive for.
I met Coach Powell a little over 3 years ago at a 3 hour seminar he gave for a local chamber of commerce. I was quite impressed with what he had to say that day. I thought then that he needed to work with me and my company as it embarked on its next 25 year cycle. For various reasons over the past 3 years that connection never happened.
About 2 weeks ago he sent me an e-vite for his weekly meetings at Panera. Before I went to that meeting I looked on the net for information about him, what he was doing and involved in and, in the course of that search, I looked at this site for his visonquest project. I was amazed at the program he had developed. I knew after reading thru it that 3 year wait was worth it. I didn’t need a 1 or 2 visit lecturer/instructor who would quickly come and go and leave it for me (and my company) to move forward on our own. His 90 day program where he is ‘our coach’ is what I wanted for my company.
I realize now that I had already implemented VBDM when I made the decision to sign on to his program. And as we move forward into the program I can clearly see that my quick decision was a correct decision.
I am looking forward to working on the “focus” and “truth” components of VBDM. I find it very frustrating most days that the bombardment of information makes it very difficult to get closer to end goals.
This makes perfect sense. You need a vision so that you can make those decisions that will help you reach your destination.
The difference between goals and vision are really begining to be very different in my mind as I continue to read Marvin’s blogs. Your vision has to be clear so you can make logical decisions to get you closer to your vision.
Wow…put it together…answer that phone, respond to that email…did you just jump off your vision and jump on to someone else’s vision? Technology. Time management. Clarity. Stay focused. Save time in your day to work with others and their visions….
I am in the process of considering possibilities that will define my personal vision.
Speed, focus, and truth. I am speed; I can’t find time to focus most days let alone worry if I have made great decisions. But at the end of the day, my confidence that tomorrows journey will be better and more exciting lets me sleep at night.~ As long as I have checked all my emails, voicemails, and my calendar!
Interesting points but to me, summing up the benefits of remaining focused and honing in on the resources that allow you to reach your goals doesn’t need a ten dollar name like VBDM. I just call it focus and efficiency. Keep your eye on the ball and choose the equipment that produces the best swing. That’s about it.
VBDM makes perfect sense. In my line of work, decision making must be rapid yet thoughtful at the same time. Although we have yet to formalize our vision, I do believe that I make decisions based on a genuine vision regularly. It will be interesting to see how (or if) the process changes once we have had an opportunity to fully develop our vision.
There is a truth to this and yet I find that there is a part missing. Maybe you cover that further on. I find that it is not just the VBDM, but the feeling for it and the ability to stay present. If I am not present right here, right now, all the plantification and visioning are just so many goals going nowhere.
VBDM clearly solidyfies the need to have a clear vision to be able to make the right decisions with the required speed, at times must be done immediatly so listen to your “gut feeling” when you have clarity about your vision. To stay focused just visualize your end result it will keep you focused and will direct you on the right path. Always stay true to yourself and to your clients or associates don’t make twisty turns it will backfire on you. Integrity and truth are the core for any business that wants to be successful to the end.
Wow, this one made me think for a bit before I could make a comment, which is always good. I don’t think I’ve ever come across that kind of terminology before regarding decision making. How powerful then your decisions must be if they’re aligned with your vision, but then again, I’m sure I’ve done this myself without even realizing that’s what I was doing. I mean every time I sat down and wrote goals out for myself as far as what I wanted to accomplish (which I often times do), every decision I made after that was subconsciously and consciously associated to the goals I had for myself. Although I’ll some times get caught up mentally as well as emotionally on all the other things that will cause us all distractions as mentioned in this blog, I was always clear about what direction I was headed because I had clear goals and vision.
I especially liked the part about the more we engage in this process of vision based decision making, the more our muscles of decision making get stronger and the easier it becomes for us to make those important decisions when we’re faced with them. I can definitely relate to that myself as I see myself getting much more comfortable and confident in my own abilities the more I take the time to write things down and watch them materialize through hard work.
Intuitively, this makes a lot of sense. I’d like to hear more about the connection between vision based decision making and speed, focus and truth.