his decision have a positive impact on the company’s long-term goals?

c) Was this decision in full harmony with my beliefs and values?

Consider all of the decisions that you can remember making during the day. Score each decision by giving yourself 1 point for each of the three questions. The goal is to consistently score 3 points for each decision that you make.

For every decision that scored less

For new leaders there are very few easy-to-use instructional guides that demonstrate how to make consistently good decisions. A lot of models focus on external events and don’t take into account the speed necessary to consider the facts, the situational and organizational needs, as well as the leader’s values.

A Values-Oriented Decision (VOD), however, does. The VOD process begins with the leader taking a regular inventory of his values. By doing this, a leader gets a feel for what it might be like to have to respond to the simple or complex issues he may be faced with. The values you have identified will help guide you as you practice responding to these imagined scenarios.

When small, short-term, or fast problems crop up during the course of a day, the leader can typically handle these with little effort. When a decision is needed for larger-impact, sensitive, or longer-term subjects, a leader will benefit if she has time and context available to her. Unfortunately, both of these are usually in short supply. The VOD process takes this shortage of time and context into consideration.

The Values-Oriented Decision-Making process I recommend to clients consists of 3 simple steps. It requires preparation and consistency, but it will yield more effective decisions.

After performing a thorough values inventory, the leader then begins taking a few quiet minutes at the end of each business day (for 2 full weeks) to review the decisions he has made. During this review, consider the following 3 criteria for each decision:

a) Did this decision meet the immediate needs as they were perceived by or presented to me?

b) Will this decision have a positive impact on the company’s long-term goals?

c) Was this decision in full harmony with my beliefs and values?

Consider all of the decisions that you can remember making during the day. Score each decision by giving yourself 1 point for each of the three questions. The goal is to consistently score 3 points for each decision that you make.

For every decision that scored less

lar inventory of his values. By doing this, a leader gets a feel for what it might be like to have to respond to the simple or complex issues he may be faced with. The values you have identified will help guide you as you practice responding to these imagined scenarios.

When small, short-term, or fast problems crop up during the course of a day, the leader can typically handle these with little effort. When a decision is needed for larger-impact, sensitive, or longer-term subjects, a leader will benefit if she has time and context available to her. Unfortunately, both of these are usually in short supply. The VOD process takes this shortage of time and context into consideration.

The Values-Oriented Decision-Making process I recommend to clients consists of 3 simple steps. It requires preparation and consistency, but it will yield more effective decisions.

After performing a thorough values inventory, the leader then begins taking a few quiet minutes at the end of each business day (for 2 full weeks) to review the decisions he has made. During this review, consider the following 3 criteria for each decision:

a) Did this decision meet the immediate needs as they were perceived by or presented to me?

b) Will this decision have a positive impact on the company’s long-term goals?

c) Was this decision in full harmony with my beliefs and values?

Consider all of the decisions that you can remember making during the day. Score each decision by giving yourself 1 point for each of the three questions. The goal is to consistently score 3 points for each decision that you make.

For every decision that scored less

decision is needed for larger-impact, sensitive, or longer-term subjects, a leader will benefit if she has time and context available to her. Unfortunately, both of these are usually in short supply. The VOD process takes this shortage of time and context into consideration.

The Values-Oriented Decision-Making process I recommend to clients consists of 3 simple steps. It requires preparation and consistency, but it will yield more effective decisions.

After performing a thorough values inventory, the leader then begins taking a few quiet minutes at the end of each business day (for 2 full weeks) to review the decisions he has made. During this review, consider the following 3 criteria for each decision:

a) Did this decision meet the immediate needs as they were perceived by or presented to me?

b) Will this decision have a positive impact on the company’s long-term goals?

c) Was this decision in full harmony with my beliefs and values?

Consider all of the decisions that you can remember making during the day. Score each decision by giving yourself 1 point for each of the three questions. The goal is to consistently score 3 points for each decision that you make.

For every decision that scored less

but it will yield more effective decisions.

After performing a thorough values inventory, the leader then begins taking a few quiet minutes at the end of each business day (for 2 full weeks) to review the decisions he has made. During this review, consider the following 3 criteria for each decision:

a) Did this decision meet the immediate needs as they were perceived by or presented to me?

b) Will this decision have a positive impact on the company’s long-term goals?

c) Was this decision in full harmony with my beliefs and values?

Consider all of the decisions that you can remember making during the day. Score each decision by giving yourself 1 point for each of the three questions. The goal is to consistently score 3 points for each decision that you make.

For every decision that scored less

his decision have a positive impact on the company’s long-term goals?

c) Was this decision in full harmony with my beliefs and values?

Consider all of the decisions that you can remember making during the day. Score each decision by giving yourself 1 point for each of the three questions. The goal is to consistently score 3 points for each decision that you make.

For every decision that scored less than 3 points, go back and see where and why it didn’t score well. Were some of these decisions quick fixes and only scored a 1? Did some decisions address the company’s long-term goals but failed to meet the immediate need of the customer? There is always a reason. See if you can discover what it is.

After a few daily reviews, a pattern should begin to appear; usually the pattern is that one of the 3 criteria is not being met. Your daily findings will also begin showing you a more true and distinct path to follow. The ultimate goal is that you more easily will begin making 3 point decisions in the future.

Your daily VOD review trains you to look at and consider short-term needs, long-term company goals, and what you most value about what you are doing as a leader. Once you have learned how to do this consistently, pass it along to the people who work for you. It doesn’t matter whether they are managers or supervisors; teach them how to make better Values-Oriented Decisions – at work and in life. That’s what a great leader does.