We’re living in a fast-paced world and knowing how to make the right decision is crucial. It’s so crucial, that the more responsibilities you have, the faster you have the decide and make the right decision.
Last year I discovered the term VUCA and I started learning about it.
VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity and it was coined in 1987 to describe the fog of war on the battlefield. The term VUCA entered the corporate and business world in the early 2000 and currently there are new terms that either add value on top of VUCA or make VUCA less relevant (BANI, RUPT, TUNA).
When I look at all these terms that best describe today’s world, (un)certainty seems to be everywhere. We live in a world full of uncertainty and it becomes harder and harder to comprehend what will happen one year from now. Even more, it feels like the only thing we have control over is the present moment and the things that we do here and now.
Having this said, how do you make the right decision?
Everything starts with a plan — a plan that you may already have.
What is a plan?
When it comes to planning something and allocating efforts towards your plan, there are two categories of information that all of us use: the information we know (connected to the present moment) and the things we want (connected to a moment in the future and things we may not know).
Here are some examples:
The things you know:
- My name
- My age
- My current location
- My favorite color
- My favorite food
- My current job or occupation
- My current hobbies or interests
- My family members and friends
- My past experiences and memories
- My strengths and weaknesses
The things you don’t know but you may create a plan around them so you can discover them:
- What career opportunities will be available to me in the future
- Where I will be living in the future
- Who my future romantic partner will be
- How my relationships with my family and friends will evolve
- What kind of health challenges I may face in the future
- Whether I will have children or not
- What new technologies will be invented in the future
- What major world events will occur in the future
- What new discoveries will be made in science and medicine
- What kind of person I will become in the future
When it comes to the second category (the things you don’t know), the higher the uncertainty is, the more you struggle with making the decision.
Going back to understanding what a plan is, we use the information in both categories (what we know and what we want) to generate a direction.
For example, in my case, I know that I just got my coaching certification and I want to start working with bigger organizations and coach executives and leaders. For me, there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to working with bigger organizations and coaching executives.
That, right there, is my direction. I’m starting from where I am (a certified coach) and I’m going toward the things I want to have.
At the same time (and this is optional) it would be great to have an understanding of your past. In my case, I started coaching people back in 2018, but without having a specific certification or training.
Now that I have a direction, do I also have a plan?
Yes and no. It depends.
It is a plan because you know where you are and you know where you want to go. You have clarity over point A and point B.
At the same time, considering that every plan should have a backup plan, no plan is a plan until it has its backup plan.
Therefore, there are two things we have to define:
- The backup plan;
- When exactly do I shift from the main plan to the backup plan.
In my case, the backup plan is quite simple. I’ll follow the same structure from the main plan to define the backup plan.
I know that I’m a digital marketer and I want to keep doing digital marketing for businesses that give me the freedom to do more than just marketing so I can help them scale. And just to define my past, I’ve been doing marketing since 2012 and have enough experience to keep doing it in case the main plan fails.
Now that I know my backup plan, it’s time to understand what will make me shift from my main plan to my backup plan.
To do that, I’ll have to answer some questions and I encourage you to answer these questions too, whether you have a backup plan or not. They will help you make the right decision when it comes to moving your attention to your backup plan.
- What is the success I’m looking for with my main plan?
- When do I expect to reach that form of success?
- In case it doesn’t happen in that expected timeline, how long after will I start paying attention to my backup plan?
- Looking at my main plan, what makes it unrealistic?
- What is something extra I’m willing to do, to make the main plan successful?
Where you came from & where you’re going
When it comes to knowing how to make the right decision, it’s important to have in mind the big picture.
I know I mentioned previously the idea of past, present, and future, but that was connected directly to the plan itself.
Right now, I’m looking at things beyond the plan itself, that are still connected to the plan, but in a more subtle way.
For the plan:
- Where I came from is about my coaching experience and how I started coaching leaders
- Where I’m going is about wanting to coach leaders in bigger organizations, who can have a larger impact worldwide
For the big picture:
- Where I came from is about my childhood, my education, the society I’m part of, my cultural background, and so on
- Where I’m going is about the things that I want to leave behind after I’ll pass away and the impact I’ll have in others’ lives until I’ll close my eyes for good
In all my coaching programs, the last session of every coaching program is a reflection session, where we explore exactly the big picture.
If you want to experience it, contact me and I’ll help you better reflect on your life. You don’t have to book an entire coaching program. You’ll get the reflection session for free.
The external factors that can make you change your plan
When it comes to making the right decision, especially in a world full of uncertainty, the external factors can easily influence your way of thinking, which can lead to adjusting or changing your plan.
While the external factors can be many, we can put them into specific categories to make it easier for you to identify the source of these external factors.
1. Subpersonalities
We all have a personality we’re certain of and we know what that personality is.
But, at the same time, in different contexts, we can have different subpersonalities that are activated by different triggers.
These subpersonalities can be perfectionist, idealist, critic, victim, comedian, imposter, expert, lone-wolf, struggle, and so on.
For example, if you are on a call with a current client, ask for a testimonial, and the client doesn’t want to give you the testimonial (for whatever reason), your victim subpersonality can be triggered and it can influence your views on testimonials and that can eventually influence how you make decisions.
2. Self
What you know about the things you know.
Who you are, your behaviors and actions, your values and beliefs.
As soon as any of these are influenced, your thought process is changing and influences your way of making decisions.
3. Relationships
The nature of your relationships is a main factor for the quality of your life.
Whenever I talk about the importance of relationships, I always like to mention the Harvard’s longest study on happiness and its conclusion, which is this: The most consistent finding that’s been learned through 85 years of study is: Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer.
As soon as something changes in your relationships, you change. And that change is going to influence your thinking and eventually your plan.
4. Team
If you’ve ever been part of a great team, that team for you is like a second family.
You know everything about everyone. You know their secrets. You know their strengths and weaknesses.
“Giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting they won’t use it.”
That’s how Simon Sinek describes the act of love and that sense of trust for sure will influence the way you make decisions.
5. Organization
Making the right decisions is also connected to the organization you’re part of.
When it comes to big organizations, there’s a structure that you have to follow. There are beliefs and values that you have to follow.
It’s important that the beliefs and values of the organization align with your beliefs and values. If they don’t align, uncertainty and inner conflict will appear.
6. Country
Maybe there’s a certain law in the country you’re living in that is influencing your thought process. Or maybe there are specific traditions that need to be followed, that are connected to the culture of your country.
Depending on the success you’re looking for with your plan, the country you’re living in can be a big external factor.
7. PESTEL
PESTEL is an acronym and it stands for Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, and Environmental.
It goes beyond your country and it’s connected to the trends and changes that are happening at a global level.
While the factors that can influence your thinking are part of all these seven categories, there are some categories that will influence you more than others.
To make the right decision in a moment of uncertainty, make sure you are aware of what influences your thinking.
With love and optimism,
David