My dad encouraged me to start my first company in 1985. He loaned me $300 and took me to purchase the equipment I needed to get launched. Within a few weeks I had paid off the loan and was operating my new venture in the black.
Over the next few years, my dad spent many hours modeling character, integrity, a strong work ethic, fairness, excellence, and organizational leadership. Needless to say, I am deeply grateful for my dad’s influence in my life and work.
I’d love to say that I caught on quick – but I was a maverick, hard charging – some called me driven. So, for more than 25 years I’ve learned by failing – over and over. I’ve made a lot of decisions that didn’t turn out the way I had planned – and I succeeded!
Wait…What?
Yep, I made a ton of bad decisions – and I have been very successful. Why? Because I made more decisions that worked than those that didn’t work.
Remember, you were made for something great! So, here are three ways to guarantee your success…
1. Keep getting back up
Perseverance is at the core of success – so keep going! Don’t back down – keep growing. Keep improving. Keep innovating. And keep leading.
When a decision doesn’t work out as planned – that’s no time to quit. In fact, it’s time to keep making them. You’ll eventually make more decisions that work out than those that don’t. It’s time to get more interested in your long-term vision than your latest goof-up!
2. Make the tough decisions – today
Don’t procrastinate – ever! There’s no better time then now. Maybe you haven’t pulled the trigger because you don’t know if it’s going to work. You’re not comfortable yet. You haven’t gathered all the data. Maybe you want to do a little more planning. You’re not sure what your boss will think.
Quit stressing over decisions! There’s really not much to worry about anyway – cause you’re never going to be 100% certain. You’ll never have all the data. You’ll always want do more planning. And you’ll never be able to read your boss’s mind. So decide already!
3. Make decisions based on proven principles
Many organizations have collapsed under the weight of fundamentally flawed decisions. Leaders must make decisions based on proven principles. Determine what filter you are going to use for your decisions.
So, what’s it gonna be? Core convictions? Mission and vision? Solid business plans? Scripture? Whatever your basis, tough decisions should be made when they don’t HAVE to be made.
When you settle this ahead of time, the decisions come more naturally in the heat of the moment.
Question: What would you add to the list? How can we be more successful in our decisions? You can share your ideas in the comments.
Mike, would you be so kind to share your core values, Scriptures, principles, etc that allow you to screen and make decisions? I’ve attempted to follow Phil 4:8 as a filter as well as a principle from Psalm 23 – that when I’ve done all I can do to know about a decision, I trust in God’s two Sheepdogs, “Goodness and Mercy,” which are constantly chasing after me.
Great question Paul. This is the process that I have used to identify my core convictions and principles for my life and work – http://www.michaelnichols.org/personal-life-plan/.
I lived success for 13 years but now things are going bad 🙂 I planned I have taken very tough decisions, and now I have no work, I have no idea how to fix things, I have a family they rely on me but it seems I don’t deserve this kind of trust, I don’t know if I have to contact my ex employers or not! I afraid if I asked them again to work I will lost a lot but I already lost! However, thanks for the great article.
I love the first practice. In other word, it is never giving up. Some one told me that never giving up is like we about to give up, but our heart and our decision say that I will try one more time with another way. Thanks for the post.
I agree. It’s a daily decision – keep going!
I love the phrase, “tough decisions should be made when they don’t have to be made.” Reality is that you were in a clear frame of mind, you’ve already thought through multiple scenarios, and the decision has already been made. Similar to an approach with marriage – going into it, you can make the decision that it is a life long commitment. Then when times are tough, you’ve already decided that marriage is for life, which then means you are going to figure out a way to work things out. Thanks for the post!
So true, David. Plan for the storms, cause they will come. Thanks for sharing. Michael