What will you do when...?

There are so many decisions that we have to make in the moment, when stakes are high, when “how it goes” will define “how it’s going to go”.

Board meetings.

Pitches.

Negotiations.

When the pressure is on, making decisions is harder.

Stop doing it on the fly. 

I know you want to be great at “thinking on your feet”.  I want you to be good at that too.  But great “thinking on your feet” happens when you’ve already done all of the thinking and decision making ahead of time.  Then you can deploy those decisions in that critical moment without guessing, without desperately searching for the “right” answer or without the pressure of a rush.  

Do the thinking and decision making now, so you can use them when it matters.

It looks like this:

IF (something happens)

THEN (insert decision)

IF they counter-offer with half of what we’re asking. THEN I will say “no thank you” and walk away.

IF the audience is twice the size I expected, THEN I will start with my founder story instead of introductions.

IF there is no EMCEE, THEN I will ask my Chief of Staff to introduce me.

IF they don’t respond, THEN I will finish with my impact statement.

Decide what’s important to you and not what’s important to you now.  Do the IF/THEN now and that will make it possible for you to think on your feet, reduce the risk of making a choice in the moment that is not aligned to your goal, and put you in control.  

I can decide now

What matters 

What doesn’t matter

And that can tell me what to do in the moment

Because I’ve already decided

How it’s going to go, if it goes another way.

And control is what you want.  The kind of control that lets you stay in control when things don’t go as planned.  When you do that, you reduce risk and aim your time at the impact that matters in creating the outcomes you need to advance your goals.