How to make better decisions and achieve your goals What shapes a person's career and life, and defines them as a leader? Their decisions. We all want to be more productive and deliver our best results. But doing this effectively—and consistently over time—is a significant challenge. Managing it all is hard, and leading in today's hyper-paced world is even harder.
The good news is that leadership expert Steve McClatchy makes it easier. In Decide, McClatchy—who works with Fortune 1000 people every day to help them achieve outstanding levels of performance—shows you how to cut through the complexities and excuses to start realizing real gains simply by changing one thing: the way you make decisions. With McClatchy's help, you can quickly begin to:
- Use the time you have each day to move your business and your life forward
- Make decisions that yield better results
- Waste less time, reduce stress and regain balance
Again and again, McClatchy has helped people learn for themselves how great decision-making habits yield a lifetime of accomplishments. Follow McClatchy's no-nonsense and practical approach, and you'll soon manage—and even lead—at your highest level of personal performance.
Table of Contents:
Preface xv
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 Two Forms of Human Motivation: Gain and Prevent Pain 5
Prevent Pain: I Have to Do It! 9
Do I Really Have To? 11
Attributes of a Gain Task 13
Management versus Leadership 18
The One and Only Exercise I Will Ask You to Do in This Book . . . Brainstorm! 20
Chapter 2 It’s All up to You: Avoid Burnout and Create Balance 23
So Why Take on Gain? 25
The Paradox of Balance 26
Gain Is the Answer to the Balance Crisis 29
Gain and Prevent Pain Must Work Together 33
Chapter 3 Prioritizing Tasks in Relation to Results 35
A New Way to Prioritize 39
Why Is Prioritizing Important? 42
Focus on Results 44
Survival Instincts 49
Breaking Down Gain: Creation versus Consumption 51
Chapter 4 Energy and Motivation: Decide How You Will Get Yours 55
What Can Your Brain Do for You? 58
Energy from Desire: Creation and Consumption 62
Energy from Fear: Procrastination 66
The Final Judgment on Procrastination 72
Chapter 5 What Understanding the Value of Time Can Do for Your Life 75
The Value of a Minute 79
Understanding Where Our Time Goes 81
Make Better Decisions about Your Time 83
You Accomplish Gain by Getting Your Goals on Your Calendar 84
Why Does This Work? 86
Getting Your Goals on Your Calendar: The First Steps 88
Need Some Examples? 90
Leap of Faith 93
Don’t Squeeze It In 95
Chapter 6 Monthly, Weekly, and Daily Planning 97
No Time to Plan? 101
Benefits of a 5-Minute Plan 102
Make It a Habit 108
Chapter 7 Managing Interruptions 109
Stick to the Work Involved 113
Steer It Back by Interrupting Yourself 115
Set Expectations 115
Recover and Get Back to Work! 116
Work Interruptions into and out of Your Schedule 118
Return the Favor 118
Chapter 8 How to Manage It All: Time Management Implementation 121
Organizing Your Information Resources 123
Why Get Organized? 125
Decide and Commit 127
The Keys to Using a Time Management System Effectively 129
What Your System Needs to Do 130
Task Management System: To-Do Lists 131
Calendar 138
They Work Together 139
Being on Time versus Being Late 140
Information Management: Contacts and Notes 143
Touch It Once 145
Chapter 9 Take Action 147
The Power of Your Decisions 149
Decisions Are Like Rules 150
Your Decisions Determine Who You Are 150
Do You Make Leadership Decisions? 152
It’s Not a Competition 153
Building Your Identity as a Leader 156
Don’t Just Think about It. Do It! 157
You Work Too Hard Not to Get the Great Results You Deserve 158
Notes 161
Acknowledgments 163
About Alleer Training and Consulting’s Work with Clients 167
About the Author 169
Index 171
About the Author :
STEVE McCLATCHY is an international speaker, trainer, consultant, writer, and entrepreneur who has spoken before thousands of audiences who have been delighted with his entertaining style and powerful stories. He leaves each and every participant with a wealth of knowledge delivered in a fun and interactive fashion. Steve founded Alleer Training and Consulting out of his passion for adult learning and for the field of training and development. He has worked in sales, sales management, training, and consulting for such organizations as The Pillsbury Company, Broderbund Software, and Forte Systems. To learn more, visit www.SteveMcClatchy.com
