the editor talks with you

Imust admit I collect ideas, quotes and strategies from highly successful people. With imagination and hard work, what works for them ought to help the rest of us.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, has become the wealthiest man in the world.

When he and his wife started their online book business in their garage, he dreamed of being able to buy a fork lift. Now he can buy as many as he wants.

Jeff says he works short days, comes in after a leisurely breakfast and reading the newspaper - bless his heart. His goal for the day is to make 3 important decisions, That’s it. No heavy lifting. Just 3 sensible, well-thought-out decisions.

That’s the power of odd numbers.

Don’t ask me why they work. No one that I know seems to have a clue.

A writer who inspires me, Ron Edmond-son, has what he calls “7 Ways to Make Strategic Decisions Quickly.” I’ll share them with you because I use them and, like other odd numbers, they work.

1. Pray. Ron loves to pray Psalm 69:1: Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. Single sentence prayers invite God’s Spirit to join you in decision-making ... and shows respect for His time.

2. Listen intently. This is a problem for busy, highly-creative leaders. Oprah Win-fry gives her staff only minutes to outline ideas. The President of United States lives by a schedule of minutes, not hours.

Many highly pressured leaders are accustomed to making lots of quick decisions. Not Jeff Bezos. He listens, thinks it over, asks questions and limits himself to 3 important decisions a day. No more, no less.

3. Take notes. If you’re not certain you fully understand, your notes help you ask questions. Ron’s office has a dry-erase wall where he diagrams different solutions.

4. Think “what next.” Train yourself to always ask “how will this decision impact others and our organization? What happens after this decision is made? How will people respond? Is this the best timing?”

5. Watch your mouth. “Keep a tight reign” on your tongue is actually a Biblical concept. It is critical for you to practice discipline. Hold your tongue until you have thought through a response.

6. Invite ideas. “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22), A good question to ask is, “What would you do?”

7. Be patient. Waiting is never a bad idea if it leads to better decisions. Time may often appear to be critical and a decision must be made. Equally important is protecting the vision, the mission, the morale of the team and our shared future.

Its OK to make impatient people wait for the best time and best decision.

There may be an opportunity cost of waiting too long. If the water is rising, get every one into the boats. If the building is on fire, get every one out – right now!

You should not be a bottleneck. Instead empower your people to make decisions.

Driving decisions deep into the organization creates critical mass. You will unleash every one’s creative power.

But when the decision has huge future implications, do not be afraid to say, “give me time to consider this.”