Many of my clients engage with me because they are at some kind of cross roads and are not sure which of the many optional roads ahead to take. They pontificate and over think their options which only serves to paralyse them and keep them standing at the cross roads even longer! The longer they stand there the more the feel demotivated because they know the place they are in is not right for them but they are too fearful about making a choice and commiting to the wrong long-term plan.
Sound familiar? After all, we have all been there.
The truth is that whatever choice you make, it doesn’t necessarily commit you to that road forever more. Knowing this can be the thinking that removes the road block and frees people to moving forward. Any smart company or individual will re assess their longer-term aspirations or vision on a regular basis. Indeed, one of the key reasons many business visions fail to materialise is because they are cast in stone, rarely revisited and then used to show the business why it failed – as opposed to reviewing it at regular intervals and amending to reflect the present reality and current knowledge.
Move the emotional to the rational
Once I have helped a client identify what their realistic choices are (usually 2-4 options) then I get them to start making a list of the pros and cons for each option. We then talk these through and based on what they have written or where the energy is connected with what they are telling me, it becomes clear to both of us which is the best road to take.
Make a plan
Once you have made the decision on which route to take you need to start planning your journey. So that means painting a picture of the longer term, having some more detailed targets for the mid term and then a detailed plan for the short term; including goals and milestones along the way (that can be measured) to show that we are moving down the road to achieving our vision.
If you’re feeling stuck and need some help in deciding which route to take, please get in touch and let’s have a chat.