Talking with another consultant-company advisor the other day, your editor found her considering options for moving her business activities forward. She had been talking with several prospective partners-collaborators and wasn’t sure which way to go. Your editor then introduced her to option solving and its merits caught her attention.
From there, we set about framing an appropriate rational question, to catch the attention of her intuitive mind, which came out as follows: “What could be XYZ’s optimum initial option during talks with potential business collaborators; considering 1) am working with a steady group of clients, 2) a 2019 focus on book writing, 3) revamp of our Website, and 4) find complementary partner(s) to move venture forward?” We contained ourselves to only using the top four considerations, even though there were several others, so as not to further complicate her final decision.
With this question now in place, she then needed two yin and yang “bookends” as extreme possibilities, so they would further focus her intuitive, decision-making mind on her most realistic options. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing people’s fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing focus. We are mostly unaware at how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless effectively focused.
The bookends she determined for this step were: “Haphazard, opportunist way forward” and “Give away XYZ’s valuable assets – withdraw from the market-place”: both of which were her least likely possibilities for the reasons given. But at least they would nudge her to consider and produce her most realistic options – see our Latest Worked Example.
Then we aimed to produce at least five realistic options, so as to stretch her range of possibilities as much as possible. In fact, we left open a sixth option, too, for her to mull over, in case she revealed another option within the next couple of hours. Feel free to review her five-six proposed options in our Latest Example, one of which was: “Option- A: Seek loose collaboration with likely business ‘partner’.”
With this new, provisional “pictogram” now in place, she would be able to review, adjust or add to it over next few hours, while things were still fresh. We would then encourage her to set aside some time for emotional distancing – a form of objective thinking – before making any choice…perhaps after 2 hours, later that day, or first thing the following morning.
Emotional distancing would allow her intuitive mind to sub-consciously review her five-six options and benefit from her many diverse experiences and choices; thereby arriving at an optimal solution. What option would you have chosen?
If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area. Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting will be in two week’s time: “What is my optimum way of dealing with a bad apple?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)
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