Business, your career, your company. They’re all vastly more complex than right and wrong. The ambiguity inherent to the consequences of your decisions can keep you up at night. Often we must look for the wise decisions not the “right” decisions.
Or you might say “Hey, this is my career we’re talking about here. Right decisions all the way.””Whoa,” you might say, “this company
is like my child. I want to make nothing but the right decisions. ”
I agree with you completely, the right decisions should be made. The problem arises in that we cannot always figure out what the right decisions might be. Often, they don’t exist. Sure, some questions are simple. Shall we run a sale or maintain normal prices? Well, there are plenty of tried and true ways to figure this out. But sometimes we come to a place of greyness between the lines of right and wrong. Here are some ways we can make sure we are prepared to face those times.
Seek a Mentor
Always. Always. Always. Always have someone you know and trust to help guide you. Hopefully this person is in a line of work similar to your own. They don’t have to be but, as you progress through difficult times, that kind of knowledge from someone you respect can make a huge difference.
Sometimes mentors come as easy as the morning, they were there all along and will continue to be there. Other times, though, you need to seek them out. Send emails to people you admire, try to cultivate relationships with those you work under or who are further along the path. They can leave guide-posts to help your development.
United You
Your personal being is linked to your work being. Old notions of complete work-life separation (note: different from work-life balance) have fallen down face flat. Many people now seek to unify them healthily. This doesn’t mean never detaching from your work, but it does mean recognizing the union of your self and your work.
Keep yourself healthy and energized, mentally, physically and emotionally. Make sure you’re constantly expanding your intellect. Pursuing a new language, taking a history course, focusing on meditation, or picking up a new sport might not seem like a way to augment your career but remember: YOU are the asset. Anything that improves you, improves your value to your work. A YOU that is aligned physically, emotionally and mentally will work more efficiently and bring more to any project you are involved in.
Pause.
In writing, particularly poetry, the full-stop is a powerful thing. I included it in the title there, Heading 2, and I imagine you may have stopped on it.
Taking time to stop is important. When you remove yourself from thoughts of work, stress and change, you can find yourself making startling and sudden realizations or breakthroughs in work. Paradoxical, sure, but it’s when we remove the tunnel vision glasses that focus us on our present problems, we can find interesting solutions, creative solutions.
Lose It
Ego can become, very quickly, an individuals greatest fault. Beyond simply being unappealing to those around you, ego can stop you from pursuing the points I’ve listed above. In many ways if you’re ego is out of line you wont be able to engage any of these ideas. For instance, do you think someone with an oversized ego would seek a mentor? Would take the time to engage meditation or a personal retreat? They might pursue personal perfection, but for all of the wrong reasons.
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“Push harder” and “work longer” aren’t enough. Even effective work isn’t always enough. Sometimes it is the course of wisdom that is the only way through. While we’re not always shown it, seeking it provides rewards greater and more holistic than simply helping your job.
How do you engage wise decisions over right/wrong decision making?
