Making decisions in our daily lives and in the workplace can be one of the most overlooked processes. The daily routine presents us with hundreds of decisions, many quite small, but every now and then comes the big decisions that seem to turn life upon its head depending on the path we choose. Beloved American poet Robert Frost famously said, "two roads diverged in a wood -- and I? I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Just what did Frost mean by saying that he took the road less traveled by?
Each of us in making decisions must choose which path we will travel by. We don't have to choose obscure paths to take the road less traveled by, but we do have to take paths that require courage in making decisions. For example, sometimes we are faced with decisions about personal relationships that have a great effect on work, school, or whatever responsibilities may be placed upon us.
Choosing to invest more in our responsibilities than our relationships with loved ones can ironically affect our performance by increasing strain in those relationships over a long period of time which then translates into stress in the workplace. It is imperative that we adjust our priorities so that we take those paths which may not make sense to take at first because they do not yield the immediate effect that we seek; however, these same paths are the ones that often yield long term results.
For example, in the business world a manager who invests time in getting to know their people will likely have far more positive influence than one who sits behind their desk all day long. This doesn't mean that the manager spends their whole day nosing into people's lives, but that they show genuine interest in people. Business intelligence consulting aims to provide managers with the information they need to capitalize on good personal relationships.
The critical information that business intelligence consulting does provide will not demystify the humans in the organization, however when the manager has already shown their interest in the people, than the additional information about the structure of the organization will give them the power they need to effectively employ the people. Information works as the base of all decisions.
When Frost chose to walk the road less traveled by, perhaps he didn't have all the information. But he would have had enough to know that the road less traveled by provided the opportunities he wanted and needed to make a difference in his life. Effective decisions cannot be made without some information. It's up to us to identify what key pieces of information we need before making a decision.
How much does it cost? How will this affect my spouse, my children? When will this project be completed? Forming the habit of thinking critically about important decisions before making them may result in far greater happiness by avoiding the pressures of long term strain-induced stress.
Author Resource:-
The Revere Group (http://reveregroup.com/services/analytics-collaboration/business-intelligence.aspx) offers outstanding business intelligence consulting services so you can make the most of data concerning customers, suppliers and internal operations. Art Gib is a freelance writer.
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