Knowing and Sticking to Values Results in Easier Decision-Making

Life is filled with tough decisions! Just when you feel like you're out of the woods, up pops another thorny choice. Leading and making decisions for your organization is no different. There is very little you can do to avoid difficult decisions, but you can make them easier.

 The most straightforward approach to facilitate easier decision-making is to focus on values. What your belief system, or your organization’s belief system, allows you to approve of is the key to relieve the stress that normally comes with tough decisions or, as I like to call them, ethical dilemmas.

Consider:

1.     We all have a “moral meter” whether we choose to listen to it or not. This meter is your guide. With a moral meter as your guide, tough decisions feel much less overwhelming or “iffy” to you. Making decisions without that moral meter leave you confused and doubtful of your choices.

·       Take a moment to consider what drives your values. Is it your life experiences, your societal culture or faith? No matter the source, reflect on where your values come from and make sure they are in line with what your moral meter.

·       Your morals inform and are reflected in your values. No matter the difficulty of a particular decision, holding to your values makes decisions easier to come to.

2.     You more easily avoid the pressure from others. By committing to your values, you can be certain that you are making a wise choice, despite what other people in your life may want you to do.

·       Block everything else out. Avoid listening to the mumblings around you because they can be very influential.

·       The outcome based on your values may result unfavorably for others, or they may disagree. But, assuming they respect and/or care about you, they are likely to appreciate the integrity with which you acted.

3.     You reduce stress. You can sleep well at night knowing that the compass you use is always on track.

·       You'd be surprised (or not!) how easily stress can eat away at you. When you try to please others instead of your values, your mind is hardly at ease.

·       Give yourself the peace of mind you deserve. Always choose one path to decision-making. It's good to sacrifice for the special people in your life. But when that comes at the expense of your inner peace, it's far from worth it.

4.     You are respected by others. Gaining the respect of peers, friends, and family is important. It helps you get through life when you know that you are on the right path. And when you make decisions based on values, that respect is surely guaranteed.

·       You'll probably find that people in your circle consult you with challenges that they may have. They see you as the person whose decisions are not dictated by outside factors. They look to you for guidance.

·       That said, although others look to you for moral-based decision-making, avoid getting in too deep. Remind them that their moral compass is different from yours. Encourage them to spend time understanding what is really important to them. They can then work with their own compass instead of yours.

There are many reasons to base your decisions on your value system. Remember life is about what is important to you. At the end of the day, your ultimate happiness is the ideal focal point. Build that happiness through values-based decision-making.

*Note-while I have written this post from an individual perspective, everything here more than applies to making decisions as an organization. I will write in more detail later, about developing your organization’s values’ statement.