Option Solving Blog

Now that your editor has had time to include a sixth option into this recent version of Option Solving, he is now using the Peeling the Onion technique to dig further into possibilities. This means repeating the option solving cycle once again through ‘Peeling the Onion.’ With that in mind, he opted for Option D, since it largely incorporates the other options in some form or another.

Moving forward with Option D, raises a fresh rational question: ““What is my optimum option for promoting my forthcoming book, now superseded with Peeling the Onion – Option D: Pursue a 6 Phase Pre-emptive Promotion Campaign; considering 1) it promotes a Radical, Breakthrough book on Leadership, 2) it will rely on a lot of word of mouth activity initially, 3) it will need more promotional funds over time, and 4) it needs a strong element of luck and timing?” Although there are always other considerations, these four were the most important ones which he decided to work with to keep the ultimate decision option relatively simple.

From there he established two yin and yang “bookends,” as these would further aid his focus. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing people’s fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing focus. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless properly focused.   

The two most likely bookends turned out to be: “Delegate promotional plan to family member,” not sure if will be interested, and “Invite professional to run campaign,” there’s a slim budget and there are likely to be collaboration challenges. So, both constitute his least likely options for the reasons given. Even so, he used them to help kick-start his intuitive mind to generate some other realistic options– see our Latest Worked Example.

Now it was incumbent upon him to produce a minimum of five to six reasonable sub-options AA-FF, so as to fully explore likely possibilities. He came up with five and left it open to come up  with a sixth before embarking upon some emotional distancing – a form of objective thinking – before making his choice…perhaps after 2 hours, later that day thinking, or first thing the following morning.

At that point, depending upon the option that rose to the surface, he would then immediately produce an action initiative, or opt for a further ‘Peeling the Onion’ exercise to eke out even more in-depth insights – sub-sub options – toward this knotty issue. He chose to do the latter.

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: “Peeling the Onion: What is my optimum option for promoting my forthcoming book and its initial Option D?” 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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