Tough Decisions

Have you ever had to make a tough decision, one that had the potential to forever alter the course of your life? Of course you have, we all have.

I find myself this weekend faced with such a decision. If you knew all the details I’m sure some of you would say it’s not a tough decision at all, a no brainer as the common saying goes. But for me it’s not so easy.

You see, there are at least three distinct courses of action that I could take, each with its own probable outcome. Only one possible result which in my mind is the least likely is desirable at this point. The desirable result is the least likely simple because it depends too much on circumstances beyond my control. The longer I hold out for the desirable result, the worse the consequences of the least desirable options become. The classic “catch 22” as they say.

I’m currently reading Rudolf Giuliani’s memoir and leadership manual, simply titled “Leadership”.

On a side note, even though I live in Canada and have no standing in U.S. domestic politics, based on what I have personally observed and read so far I think this guy would have made a great president. Maybe it’s not too late, for what it’s worth to my American friends, forget about Palin and convince Giuliani to run again, you’ll thank me later.

Anyway...

The biggest thing I’m taking away from this book at this time in my life is that the best decisions are usually the ones that take the longest to make. In the chapter on making tough decisions Giuliani says the first step is to figure out the last possible moment a plan needs to be put into action in order for it to be successful. Then begin putting all the pieces in place to implement that plan while always remaining open to an alternative course right up until the end, that way if a better solution presents itself at the last minute you aren’t committed to what would have been a bad decision just because you didn’t see any other options at first.

So here I am with three plans. Plan A, the most desirable would need to be implemented no later than this coming Thursday in order to be successful. If Plan A fails, Plan B would need to commence immediately and would require a lot of juggling in order to work. Failing Plan B, Plan C would go into effect by default, Plan C isn’t really a plan, its’ more like damage control. Being committed to Plan A at this point requires patience but being realistic also dictates that I be ready with Plans B and C and open to a possible plan D that I haven’t even thought of yet.

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst as the saying goes.