Choices, choices, choices

Recently I hear more and more people say that they feel they don’t have as many choices as they used to and that the economic climate is making them feel cornered. The truth is you do still have these choices but maybe you feel more fear in exercising that right.

Yesterday we did some filming to share information about our Quick Win 90 minute sessions. The topic was influencing skills and how to get to a win win. It occurred to me that in today’s competitive world we find it difficult to take the time to really understand other people’s perspective or indeed, for some people, it is hard to care about it. But actually, the more we are prepared to make the time and do the work, the solution we get to will always be better if we are prepared to search for the solution.

Many procurement departments will beat down the price of work from a supplier but what impact on quality does this have in the long run? Suppliers in efforts to get the contract will price below their break even rate, what impact does that have on internal resources and ultimately on the success of the business?

Within and organisation, the marketing department comes up with a great idea to generate sales, they have researched and trialled it but it is out of budget. In your business would the funds be released or not? Or if the Learning & Development department has identified a critical learning need for staff that they know will dramatically and positively impact on performance will the funds be released? The business case all makes sense but what will it take to build confidence?

In turbulent times, responsibility is clawed back up to senior people and often more junior and middle managers feel disempowered and frustrated but remember “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt www.quotationspage.com. It is up to you. You do still have choices and can influence outcomes – it is whether you have the will to make it happen. You do still have choices – you have the choice to bury your head in the sand until it’s all over or you can stand up and be counted. If you need the budget, find a way to argue for it:

* What’s the pain if you don’t do anything?
* Trial it and show the results
* Hook into key drivers for the business and demonstrate how you can make a difference
* Most of all, own how you feel and think, take action that needs to be taken and don’t do anything you feel uncomfortable with.

Remember you have the right to ask questions and gain understanding to help you make your own decisions.

In the filming we did yesterday, Gill shared a checklist of 3 questions to ask yourself how important an action is to take. This could be a negotiation, an action, a proposal anything that is about progress. These questions were:ofhgkgggkgk

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1. How important is the outcome? If it doesn’t matter that much or it won’t make a difference then let it go
2. Is this really about the outcome or about you? What personal issues are at play? Resolve these first to move forward. Progress is always about the outcome
3. How can we think and rather than or? Remember people think first about what they have to give up when things change, it doesn’t have to be like that if you can think creatively.

In today’s climate you need to be bold. Being prepared to challenge more, fight more, develop more are all traits of successful people. But the fight has to be about the outcome and not self projection. Remember all the best superhero’s are shy in real life so don your cape and mask and seek out the next task that will show you in your true colours and help you make your difference.