Le Bon Journal Guide To Decision Making

le Bon Journal
Guide to
Decision Making
First Edition
edited by Anne Ku
1 February 2006
Available from www.bonjournal.com
REVIEW COPY
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Acknowledgements
This collection of invited works was born out of feedback following the
publication of the October 2004 issue of the Bon Journal e-zine, Life Decisions
that Change Your Life and the Great Decisions for Great Results decision
making workshop in September 2004.
To answer Bon Journal readers requests for more articles on decision making, I
invited experts to share their wisdom and experience. I thank them now for their
generous contribution of time and thought.
Sree Kumar, author of Lifelong learning: Reinventing or Retooling, was

manager of my team in Singapore, in my first job as a management consultant.
In the twenty years Ive known him, he has been able to weave education
successfully into his career, embracing work and study in the kind of balance I
hope to achieve.
Guido Egidi, author of The Four Stages of Career Management, is the

headhunter I turn to whenever I get stuck in career crossroads. I am grateful for
his encouragement and coaching as I traverse that long and winding road of my
portfolio career. http://www.stanlake.co.uk
Balbir Chagger, author of Who Am I? look inside before searching

outside, gave the Introduction to Neuro Linguistic Programming evening
course I took in 2003. It was an eye-opener that led me to seek out other
personal development and communication courses. How she came to be the
vibrant, positive, self-confident career woman is told in her article in the
October 2004 issue of Bon Journal e-zines. In this guide, she focusses on the
most imporant relationship of all, the one with yourself.
http://www.harleyrelationshipcentre.com
Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 2

Mark Forster, author of Where Good Decisions Flounder the
implementation phase, wrote the best-selling time management book which I
reviewed for analyticalq.com personal book reviews. Our subsequent
discussions about time and life management led to our first joint decision
making workshop in September 2004 in the UK. This decision making guide is
one of the many ideas that emerged from that workshop. Mark is working on his
third book Do It Tomorrow, forthcoming in 2006. http://www.markforster.net
For my two articles on decision making and flexibility, I would like to thank Dr
Stuart Harris whose friendship and decision conversations I treasure highly, Dr
Klaus Meyer for overall comments, and George E. Bradford, Jr who clarified
the jargon of flexibility in legal contracts and more importantly, inspired me to
start writing nearly a decade ago.
Finally I would like to thank my father James Ku for proofreading earlier drafts.

Table of Contents
Anne Ku Making Decisions, Making Choices Page 5

We learn to choose from a young age. From trivial decisions
to life-threatening decisions, it all starts from the ability to
choose and stick to that choice. Choosing a path to follow
and making it a reality form the basis of decision making and
implementation.
Anne Ku Flexing the Decision Page 12

When we flex our biceps, we show off how strong and
well-toned they are for coping with tough situations. By
flexing a decision, we move the moveable elements within a
decision to prepare us for the uncertainties ahead...
Sree Kumar Lifelong Learning: Reinventing or Retooling Page 19

We all feel it. At some time or other, what we do appears to
be meaningless. Some suffer from burn out; others reach a
state of boredom. This is when we begin to ask ourselves
what we should have done different...
Guido Egidi The Four Stages of Career Management Page 24

Growing economic uncertainty and rapidly changing
business conditions are making employment and career
prospects riskier than ever before. In our grandparents
generation, employment for life was a given...
Balbir Chagger Who Am I? look inside before searching outside Page 33

We spend most of our lives trying to please others in return
for love, affection, acceptance and recognition. Our
personalities are somewhat conditioned and shaped by our
parents patterns and beliefs...
Mark Forster Where Good Decisions Flounder the implementation phase Page 39
After going through the decision making process, we have
come to a decision. What happens next?
About Le Bon Journal Page 45

Making Decisions, Making Choices
by Anne Ku
We learn to choose from a young age. From trivial decisions to life-threatening

decisions, it all starts from the ability to choose and stick to that choice.
Choosing a path to follow and making it a reality form the basis of decision
making and implementation.
We choose between where we are now and where we could be; what we have
now and what we could have. In other words, we choose between the status quo
and that which deviates from the status quo. Do you want to stay or leave?
Do you want to stay in your job or find another one? Do you want to stay in
your current relationship or change? Do you want to stay or move house?
In the next simplest case, we choose between two: do you want vanilla or
chocolate ice cream? When more choosing requires analysis, it becomes a case
of decision making.
Not surprisingly, the way we decide varies from person to person. Awareness of
the different decision making approaches provides us with alternatives to
improving the way we make decisions. It is a result of both nature and nurture,
personality and culture, instinctive and deliberate. Through experience, we learn
to become better decision makers. Analysing how people make decisions is a
matter of cause and effect, sometimes an interaction with chance, sometimes
with no uncertainty at all.
This article was born out of the writers conversations with people from all
walks of life on the topic of decision making and the results of a decision
making workshop. Most people are surprised that decision making could
warrant a lengthy conversation and even more so the fact that psychologists and

decision scientists consider it a serious area of research.
It depends
A decision is a conclusion reached after analysis or thought, which can range

from the immediate and instinctive to a prolonged deliberation. Just ask around,
How do you make decisions? and you will get different answers.
It depends on the situation. In any given day, you make many decisions on
the spot, without thinking twice. Suppose you wake up later than usual one
morning. If you follow your normal routine, you will arrive at work late.
Alternatively, you can work from home, or call in sick. You decide to go to the
office. Seeing heavy dark clouds outside, you instinctively take your umbrella.
Such decisions are immediate. Moving house, changing jobs, and getting
involved in a relationship, on the other hand, require more deliberation. How
you decide also depends on the number of decision makers and what is at stake.
I decide under pressure. Some people are unwilling or unable to decide

unless being forced to. Without the pressure of a deadline, peer influence, or
financial necessity, such a person may drown in the so-called analysis
paralysis caused by information overload that results from too many
possibilities and too much time to contemplate on them. More complicated
decisions involve formulating the decision problem, sort out what is at stake,
find alternatives, and evaluate the information. Without time pressure or other
constraints, a trivial decision can balloon into a major operation.
It depends on how I feel. Hunger, homelessness, and the basic human needs
stacked in Maslows hierarchy drive us to decide quickly if not instinctively.
We eat when were hungry, especially if we can feed ourselves. We flee from
danger to safer grounds. Discomfort pushes us to leave the status quo. Likewise,
temptation and the promise of a better situation lure us to change. Our physical
state of mind dictates our subsequent actions. For these types of decisions, we

can choose without much thought or contemplation.
I decide when I am ready to. Decision experts speak of confidence in

decision making. To a degree, confidence is our certainty in our judgment. The
more sure we are about our assessment, the more confident we are. We gather
enough information about what can happen in the future to calm our fears about
what can go wrong. Information that reduces uncertainty can increase our
confidence and readiness to decide. For some people, confidence translates to
completeness. In other words, they are not ready to decide until they have
exhausted their search for information and alternatives.
I dont like to decide. I let others decide or shirk it altogether. Decision

making can be difficult and painful. A natural response is avoidance. The
inability to decide or the decision not to decide can result from any of the
following: lack of clarity in the decision problem, uncertainty about what one
wants out of the decision, too many alternatives to consider, too little or too
much information. All this can overload the brain, numbing ones capability to
analyse and choose. For example, too many varieties of seemingly
undifferentiable supermarket products may force us to choose by the simplest
criterion (minimum price) or an unreasonable one such as the item with the
most colourful packaging.
Its more important to have closure and the certainty of a satisfactory result
early than spend extra time looking for the optimal answer. For many
people, uncertainty is stressful. Likewise, delayed gratification isnt for
everyone, but closure is. Implicit in every decision is also the decision to be in
the driving seat (choose your future) or be driven (by others). The longer you
wait, the greater the chance of being driven. The very act of having decided
moves you to a new state of being. For example, you decide to book your
nonrefundable plane tickets before you have planned the details of your trip.
After youve booked your tickets, you know for sure you will be travelling.

Until that point, you can still cancel the trip. Your trip begins the moment you
booked your tickets, as it moves you to a new state of being, that of knowing for
sure that you are going somewhere.
Studies have shown that decision making depends on the situation, type of
decision, type of decision maker, number of decision makers and stakeholders,
and many other factors. It is a myth that we choose according to what we want
and that we all know what we want and decide accordingly. The following
section explains why.
Wants and expectations
Do we decide according to what we want or what is expected of us? In some

societies, people choose according to what is expected of them. Its not merely
to please others but to keep the society in order. It suffices to say that how we
decide depends greatly on the way we were brought up and the society we live
in. The desire to belong and conform to acceptable ways of living greatly
influences how we make decisions.
In those Asian societies where the collective good is valued to be greater than
the individual benefit, decisions are made according to what is expected, and
there are such things as the right decision. The great Chinese sage Confucius
laid out the building blocks of a bureaucracy in which order is preserved by
ensuring everyone knows what is expected of himself according to his position
in society. Decisions are made according to such expectations. In Japan, for
example, decision making by consensus literally means exactly that ---- decide
so that everyone agrees.
In those Western civilisations, decisions are driven more by what one wants
than by what is expected. A good decision maker is clear and sure about his
values, preferences, and desires. This does not preclude a desire to please,
appease, or obey someone else, however.

Hidden agendas and ulterior motives
How one decides is not always obvious to other people. Neither are the critical
drivers of ones decision. Take relationships, for example. The reasons for
befriending and maintaining contact with a person are not often stated upfront.
Neither are the reasons for separation. The following examples illustrate.
A journalist, in pursuit of a story lead, invites a company president to dinner.

The executive, in search of a romantic partner, steers the conversation in the
direction of personal lives. Although they both enjoyed the dinner, the executive
was surprised to receive a thank you e-mail shortly afterwards that seemed too
formal and impersonal, mentioning her request for certain information. His
approach was to assess whether she was romantic material or worth his
professional time. Hers, on the other hand, was purely to write her story.
People stay in unhappy and uncomfortable situations for different reasons: the
fear of change, the unwillingness to let go, the reluctance to embrace novelty,
and the hope that things will improve. To outsiders, it might seem that a
bickering couple should seek counselling and resolve their issues. What they
might not realise is that bickering is the way the couple maintain stability in
their long-standing relationship.
One particular high school girl dates guys with fancy cars because she likes to
be chauffeured. She does not make her agenda apparent, for it would impair her
chances of getting a boyfriend. Later she marries her college boyfriend because
of his new company car. Her wanderlust is her ulterior motive though she grows
eventually to love him.
Vague preferences
Whereas hidden agendas and ulterior motives are explicitly known but not
expressed, vague preferences are implied but not explicitly known or expressed

by oneself. We are not conscious all the time of what we want in each decision
making situation. We might have a rough idea or a general feeling but nothing
we can write a full specification for.
First-time, one-off decisions, such as investing in your first house in which you
expect to live for twenty years, are very difficult. It requires knowing what you
want, knowing whats out there, and constantly readjusting your requirements
until you get a feasible set. Against the budget you have (or the mortgage you
can afford), there are tradeoffs between location and space (size of house,
number of rooms), condition of house (requiring renovation or read to move in),
and more. Often we start with vague preferences --- the idea of a dream house,
and finetune until we get a realistic result.
Job-hunting is another example. In each stage of our lives, our priorities change.
In the beginning, we may pursue a high-flying career that sounds exciting and
glamourous, only to find that the reality is lonely and stressful. Others, who
have pursued lower paying jobs that provided better training, are now in secure
careers that reward them with industry recognition. They might have chosen
those jobs because they werent confident enough to apply for higher salaried
positions.
Decision making: more than choosing
Decision making is a big topic --- more than choosing one or the other, one out
of many, or dreaming up alternatives from which to choose. It may require
formulating the decision, articulating ones values and preferences, finding
alternatives, making trade-offs, and evaluating possible consequences.
Not only do we have different ways of tackling decision problems, we are all
influenced by different factors. What seems obvious to one does not always
apply to another.

Subsequent articles explore prescriptive models of choice, that is, how people
should decide and the dual roles of flexibility and uncertainty.
About the author
Dr Anne Ku wrote her doctoral thesis on uncertainty and flexibility, the two themes
which defined her subsequent portfolio career as writer, consultant, lecturer, and
musician. In 1999, she founded the portal analyticalQ.com as a platform for self-
expression to pursue flexibility and her passion for world travel. Out of this sprang the
online publication Bon Journal together with newsletters and e-zines. The Bon Journal
Decision Making Guide is her second anthology of edited and invited expert
contributions on this theme, after Risk and Flexibility in Electricity: introduction to
the fundamentals and techniques, published by RiskBooks. She is currently an adjunct
lecturer at Webster University in Leiden, The Netherlands and Managing Partner of
Asia Write Resource Centre in Singapore at http://www.arcwrite.com.

Flexing the Decision
by Anne Ku
When we flex our biceps, we show off how strong and well-toned they are for
coping with tough situations. By flexing a decision, we move the moveable
elements within a decision to prepare us for the uncertainties ahead. There is no
need to flex a decision if there is complete certainty regarding the outcome.
This article addresses only decisions made under uncertainty.
Dealing with uncertainty
Uncertainty exists in a decision making situation if we are not sure about the
outcome for any number of reasons. We could be unclear about our values and
preferences. We could be unaware about events that could change the outcome
of our decisions. As long as we have reason to doubt that the future, after we
have made and implemented our decision, could be different from what we
expect it to be, then we are making decisions under uncertainty.
In the case of weather, what we wear in the morning will not change the
weather in the afternoon. However, our decision on what to wear may or may
not be optimal if the weather changes. When we get dressed in the morning to
leave for school or work, we hope that we will be comfortable for the rest of the
day. Our decision is what to wear. The consequence of that decision is whether
we will be comfortable. The uncertainty is how the weather will change during
the day.
In business negotiations, what we say affects how our counterparty will say or
behave. Our decision is to choose the right thing to say to get the negotiation in
our favour or to arrive at a win-win situation. One major uncertainty is what the
counterparty is going to do. Another is whether the result of our negotiation will
work in the future.

Gathering information is the standard way to reduce or remove uncertainty.
Weather forecasts, historic data, surveys, questionnaires, interviews,
experiments ---- these are all ways to give us more confidence to decide under
uncertainty.
Another way is to inject flexibility into the decision, hence the title of this
article flexing the decision. Defined as the ability to easily respond to
unforeseen changes in a variety of ways, flexibility is a useful tool where
uncertainty is present and where changes are possible. Likewise, flexibility is
useless when there is no uncertainty and when no changes are possible.
Flexibility does not reduce uncertainty --- it merely allows you to cope with it
better.
Introducing flexibility
One way of introducing flexibility in a decision is by relaxing the constraints.

These include expanding the opportunity space, that is, finding more
alternatives; delaying or postponing making a decision; and redefining the
decision itself.
When presented with two choices, neither of which is 100% satisfactory in

dealing with an uncertain future, we may decide instead to look for more
alternatives or wait until the situation changes. In the case of weather, we may
decide that our wardrobe needs replenishing. We may also decide to wait until
we see the sun peering through the clouds. We can then make a better decision.
Jobhunting is another example. Rather than settling for a suboptimal job offer, a
jobseeker continues to look for vacancies until a suitable one is found. He may
also wait until he is in a better position to negotiate. Looking for more
alternatives is akin to a fisherman casting a wider net to increase his chances of
catching the right kind of fish.

Every decision has a deadline, whether implicitly or explicitly given. At
different points in time, different alternatives are available, each with its own
expiration dates. In the case of the jobseeker, vacancies dont stay vacant
forever. Neither are the job offers he gets. A better example is booking flights.
Every minute that we hesitate in booking a flight we run the risk of having to
pay higher fares. We can, of course, wait for last-minute discounted fares but
run the risk of the flight being sold out.
Extending the deadline of a decision enables us to look for additional

information, search for new alternatives, and expect a possible change in
circumstances. At the same time, we run the risk of the expiration or dying
out of some or all of existing alternatives. The decision, shall we say, gets
changed by the passing of time.
We can also introduce flexibility by redefining a decision, such as by splitting a

decision into several decisions. Sequencing or staging refers to splitting a
decision along the time line, so that each stage depends on the previous. Hence
one decision becomes a sequences of decisions. Partitioning refers to dividing
a decision into smaller pieces but not by time.
When we split a decision into several stages, we empower ourselves to see the
outcome earlier and react to it. This is one reason for having a probation period
in an employment contract. Instead of locking the employer and employee into
a permanent contract immediately, it allows both parties to decide during and at
the end of the probation period whether its a good fit.
The daunting task of decluttering or re-organising your home, once partitioned,

consists of many smaller decisions depending on how you see the task. You
may decide to approach it room by room and gather speed and efficiency. With
each room you clear, you gain more confidence in your ability to declutter.
Alternatively, you may decide to categorise all your belongings according to

how you plan to dispose of them: sell as second-hand, give away, throw away,
store away, recycle, or keep. What you keep and store away will require another
decision later in time.
Options: the right but not the obligation
The word option when used loosely means choice or alternative. We speak of
having many options but what we really mean is having many opportunities that
we are not obliged to pursue. An option is not an obligation. The definition of
options in finance makes this distinction. In finance, an option is the right but
not the obligation to (buy or sell) the underlying asset (security). In decision
making terminology, an option is the right but not the obligation to
commitment. This means that you can decide and commit at a later point in time
--- a choice upon a choice.
An option is a way of obtaining or increasing the amount of flexibility in a

situation. We can create an option in the way we communicate. In the following
example, you create an option to be late.
Your friend suggests, Shall we meet at 7 pm? To give yourself the flexibility
of arriving late, you reply, Okay, but how about after 7 ? If he agrees, youve
acquired the option to be late but he can no longer be certain the exact time you
will show up.
We often unknowingly give ourselves flexibility as a way to get out of a future

situation. For example, you suggest meeting a business acquaintance next time
you visit. His positive reply gives you the right to meet. In other words, he is
willing to meet. If you dont contact him or make specific arrangements on
when and where to meet, you turn this right into an option. If you contact him
and confirm the details of your meeting, you turn this right into an obligation.
Money is the great flexibility provider, for money gives you the right but not the

obligation to make a purchase. The more liquid it is, the more flexibility you
have. Cash in hand is worth more than illiquid assets like an old computer as
you can immediately spend it. Similarly, a house in a sought-after location has
more optionality than one in a remote area with declining population. A house
with high optionality gives you high flexibility to sell or rent it out.
A housekey, like login and password combinations to Internet sites, is an option

to enter a house. It gives you the right but not the obligation to unlock and open
the door. Reducing barriers to entry by having such keys to entry is another way
of increasing flexibility. Like housekeys, passports and visas are options. They
give you the right but not the obligation to travel to different destinations.
Holders of passports that dont require visas have more flexibility than holders
of many passports all of which require visas for travel.
Options in legal contracts
A legal contract, by definition, is an obligation to agree to certain terms and

conditions. Flexibility is often weaved into legal contracts to cater for future
uncertainty. These options may be activated by events, such as in the event
that and in case of a dispute. They may be exercised after a specified period
or at a certain point in time. They can also be tied to performance or other
indicator.
A mediation or arbitration provision, for example, allows either party to give

notice to open a discussion if a dispute arises. It can include an option to engage
a neutral third-party to facilitate the discussion if no consensus is reached after a
certain period. It is an option to rescue a contract that turns sour and prevent an
undesirable consequence.
Break causes, such as "liquidated damages, "buyout provisions," and notice

period, give you the option to end the contract before the end. They provide
one or both parties with the flexibility to get out of their obligations in the

future, such as to give notice or to pay a certain fixed amount in the event of a
breach of contract.
Options to renew can be one-sided or mutual. They are generally structured in

one of two ways: pay to renew or pay not to renew. In pay to renew option,
either party can pay a specific sum to extend the term or change an aspect of the
contract. In the pay not to renew, the agreement will automatically renew for
a term unless one party pays a specific sum to void the renewal.
Performance-related options are prevalent in employment contracts. An

evergreen contract continues automatically unless the employer declines the
renewal. A rolling contract continues until an agreed period of notice rather than
a particular date. In a related vein, escalator clauses and bonuses are rewards
given after a performance target or other pre-set goal is met. They provide the
employee with the assurance that they will be compensated by a bonus or a pay
rise if a target is met or exceeded.
The future of flexibility
In an age of increasing uncertainty and complexity, never mind the over

abundance of information and choices open to us, decision makers are seeking
flexibility. It provides certainty upfront in the form of future flexibility. This
appears as options in legal contracts, financial instruments, and the way we
communicate.
That flexibility is not always useful warns us of a potential downside or even a

costly side. Likewise, the hidden costs of flexibility are often ignored in our
pursuit to reduce or remove future uncertainty. New kinds of analysis will be
needed to incorporate flexibility in our decision making, unlike the ways we
have learned to analyse and make decisions of yesterday.

About the author:
Dr Anne Ku wrote her doctoral thesis on uncertainty and flexibility, the two themes
which defined her subsequent portfolio career as writer, consultant, lecturer, and
musician. In 1999, she founded the portal analyticalQ.com as a platform for self-
expression to pursue flexibility and her passion for world travel. Out of this sprang the
online publication Bon Journal together with newsletters and e-zines. The Bon Journal
Decision Making Guide is her second anthology of edited and invited expert
contributions on this theme, after Risk and Flexibility in Electricity: introduction to
the fundamentals and techniques, published by RiskBooks. She is currently an adjunct
lecturer at Webster University in Leiden, The Netherlands and Managing Partner of
Asia Write Resource Centre in Singapore at http://www.arcwrite.com.

Lifelong Learning: Reinventing or Retooling?
by Sree Kumar
We all feel it. At some time or other, what we do appears to be meaningless.

Some suffer from burn out; others reach a state of boredom. This is when we
begin to ask ourselves what we should have done different. Experience of life,
and the learning that it brings, often colours our view of where we should be
heading at this stage. And each individual has his or her own level of self-
esteem that comes from experience.
But there is, today, a preoccupation with the term lifelong learning. The
narrow view of this term is defined as improving ones earning capabilities by
acquiring knowledge or developing skills that have an economic value. I believe
that taking this narrow view would mean that we do not really understand
human nature in the new world of information explosion. There is the constant
need for mental stimulation that an individual needs to help him or her enjoy
work and recreational time. The challenge remains to make each individual
rich in a variety of experiences so that they become adaptable in different
settings.
Lifelong learning helps the individual widen and strengthen the confidence that
comes from the acquisition of knowledge or skills. Indirectly, the learning
experience expands the contours of knowledge and, in some way, pushes back
the boundary of ignorance. This very discovery is a confidence booster. How
often have we observed children becoming more confident as they learn new
words? It is the same principle at work when we learn new things. It is also the
same type of discovery that enriches our own capabilities. Lifelong learning is,
therefore, more than just reinventing or retooling oneself. It is a creative
exercise that keeps the mind agile.

So, how do you know it's time to go back to school or receive further training?
There comes a time when you really feel that you are just not getting anywhere
with what you do. The training or the education you have had seems to have
come to an end or, even if it hasnt, you feel that you are not being challenged
enough. You need new goals, new directions. This is a time for reflection.
Going back to school is a time for reflection because it allows you to question
what you have done so far, and also gives you time and space to redefine what
you want for yourself in the future.
I needed a change in direction is what you hear most often from people going
back to school. But this is different from lifelong learning. Lifelong learning
does not happen just because you need a change in direction. It happens
because you have a quest for some challenging endeavour, intellectual or
otherwise.
How do you choose between part-time studying (full-time work) and full-time
studies?
Once you have made the decision to go back to school there is always the
question of whether it should be part-time or full-time. There is no doubt in my
mind that full-time study is the best therapy for a tired mind. It takes you away
from the mundane world and lets you put your energies into doing what you
have always wanted. This is why most business school graduates feel that a full-
time MBA is far better than doing it part-time. The challenge of studying with
others, being exposed to new thinking, and spending time reflecting on issues
that interests a person, requires a full-time commitment.
There is always the further issue of can I afford it? Very often it is this single
concern that defines whether you study full-time or part-time. I think this is the
wrong way to assess full or part-time study. Part-time study is useful when the
day-to-day work that you do is strengthened directly by what you study in your
out-of-work hours. There is a process of experience that strengthens your

learning, and a process of learning that sustains your experience.
How do you assess the cost/benefits and return on investment of further

education or getting additional qualifications?
Can one place a value on lifelong learning? I dont think so. Nevertheless, most
individuals do some form of cost-benefit analysis on their investment in further
education or in getting additional qualifications.
In full time education the costs may be high but if the individual is bent on a
career change then almost inevitably the future career must be financially
attractive to induce such a change. But there are many others who pursue a
career shift through formal education with no thought of getting better financial
rewards. One can think of lawyers who give up law to run yoga studios as an
example, having gone through extensive yoga training on a full time basis.
I think it would be a mistake to calculate a cost-benefit ratio before embarking

on a formal education, or in acquiring additional qualifications. The change in
direction should be led from within the individual who seeks to do what he or
she enjoys most. This seems to be a nave statement, but the most successful
people in the world are those who do what they enjoy doing. The successful
writers chose to live in almost penury during their early years, just enjoying the
purpose of writing. Success came to many of them later V S Naipaul, Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, Knut Hamsen. One can also see others in the world of music.
And how many people realize that the famous architect Geoffrey Bawa was
actually a lawyer by training? You must have a talent that can be released
through the process of learning, formal or informal. If you choose to do
something for the sole sake of a financial reward, then you will find yourself
becoming exhausted and bored as when you were before you switched careers.
Advice for a 15 year old
The best advice one can give a 15 year old is to do what he or she enjoys most.

If it is writing, then learn all you can about the craft of writing. You may have
to study literature; history; geography; and some science so that you can
intelligently and with wit, write interesting pieces. A 15-year old should be less
inclined to start specializing in narrow fields. The world is still waiting to be
discovered for a 15 year old. She needs to explore through experience. It is not
for nothing that the teens are known as the formative years.
Advice for a 25 year-old college graduate who has worked for 3 years
A 25 year old is too young to seek a career change. There is still time to learn
on the job and there is the opportunity of learning from mistakes. There is a
certain amount of freedom and latitude that a 25 year old is given and he or she
must exploit that freedom by experimenting with new ideas. But for a 25 year-
old intent on additional qualifications, however, this is the best time for going
back into full-time education because the costs of a lifestyle change can still be
managed without much pain.
Advice for a 33 year old
A 33 year old is ideally suited for part-time education because family

commitments can be onerous, and expanding the knowledge base can provide
the individual with flexible skills even if the education is for mere intellectual
stimulation. A stimulated mind makes new discoveries even in old and familiar
settings. It will strengthen the working experience and raise the individuals
confidence. For example, an engineer studying history even as a part-time
student is likely to understand the implications of the engineering work in the
wider social context, and through that process obtain a better feel for the role of
unions in an industrial society.
For a 40 year old about to be made redundant
Retooling oneself is the best remedy for facing redundancy. I would advise a
person facing redundancy to use the funds from being made redundant to pursue

interests that they had thought about but never had the time to do. This may
require some formal learning to retool oneself, but more often the learning may
be inexpensive and can be done in the community classes and evening lectures
held by city colleges. I learnt Russian this way, while taking some time off
between jobs.
The uncertainties about going back to school and how do you handle them?
In lifelong learning, there is always the fear that you are inadequate in some
fashion, or that you may not succeed in your learning experience. These are
well-founded fears but many learn to overcome them very quickly. Meeting
others of the same mindset and interacting with them will show you your
strengths and weaknesses and also indicate ways in which you can redress those
weaknesses. It is not a handicap to embark on learning at any stage in your life.
It strengthens the mind, and an active mind helps to make life a lot more
interesting. An agile mind is also the best friend that anyone can have. How
many creative people live longer? Think of the musicians, writers and artists
who have lived long and exciting lives. Lifelong learning is an instrument to do
just that, nothing more, nothing less. Long when everyone else is gone, you
only have your mind and your memories. Think of that, and you will enjoy
lifelong learning. Once you have that confidence, nothing matters.
About the author
Sree Kumar was born in Singapore and had some of his early schooling in Malaysia.
He holds degrees in law, economics, management and engineering from the
Universities of London, Oxford, Cranfield and Singapore. His interests cover a wide
area and he has written extensively on economics, trade, politics, governance and
development, in addition to literary criticism. He is co-editor, with Sharon Siddique, of
the Second ASEAN Reader, ISEAS Singapore, 2004; and co-author, with Sharon
Siddique and Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, of Mind the Gaps: Singapore Business in China,
ISEAS Singapore (2005).
Sree is a partner of Sreekumar Siddique & Co, an international research and

consulting firm, and has consulted on policy and strategy issues in different industries
and for various governments across Southern Africa, the Indian Ocean Rim, and the
Asia-Pacific.

The Four Stages of Career Management
by Guido Egidi
Growing economic uncertainty and rapidly changing business conditions are

making employment and career prospects riskier than ever before. In our
grandparents generation, employment for life was a given. Nowadays, the
competitive forces resulting from globalisation no longer allow for a stable
environment to cushion us. Economic cycles are more volatile and
unpredictable. Their impacts on business environments and employment market
are felt globally and all the way down the value chain. Equally important, the
attitude of employers has also changed, with redundancies a ready option to
business management. The responsibility of career development has definitely
shifted from the corporate to the individual.
Despite this we tend to take our career for granted until we are helplessly stuck
at a crossroad or victimised and bruised by our first redundancy. Careers are not
maintenance free. Far from it. Your career needs to be carefully planned, and if
necessary, adjusted on an annual basis as with any type of critical check-up,
such as the maintenance and insurance of our car, domestic appliances and
central heating! As your salary derives from your career, its important to assess
it regularly just as you would with dental or medical check-ups.
There are no hard and fast rules to avoid making wrong decisions about your
career. However, I believe it is possible to minimise the risk of making serious
mistakes. My objective is to provide you with a few guidelines by highlighting
the key timeframes and related decisions involved in the development and
management of a career. This is directly applicable to business careers such as
marketing, sales and less applicable to professionals such as lawyers,
accountants, dentists. However, the principles apply to every working person.

I have identified four key stages and all four are driven by different needs and
goals in the chart below.
4 Key Stages of Career Management

1 2 3 4
. .
Salary Trial & Error Growth Consolidation Preservation
.
.
.
. .
. .
22
. 30 40 50
Age
60
Education
Stage 1: Search & Testing (age 18-30)
Between the ages of 18 and 30, we face the most demanding and critical stage
in our career because we are pressured to choose a career direction when we
have the least amount of knowledge and experience to make those decisions.
Its like being forced to map out the most efficient car journey when we are just
learning to drive and dont know where were going.
Its scary to think that a decision made during this stage determines the
direction of our future career path.
To make a career decision at this stage, you need to search, evaluate, benchmark
and select from an ever increasing range of possible careers available in the
light of personal inclinations and circumstances and resources. Next, you need
to evaluate and decide on the most suitable type and duration of educational
investment in order to achieve your career objectives. Finally, once you have

successfully completed your education you have to evaluate and choose from an
ever increasing range of initial job(s) opportunities, internships and graduate
trainee schemes including that of specialising and making a further investment
in education.
Paradoxically, you have to make these decisions when you are least equipped
and trained to make decisions, let alone the career -critical variety! You are
pressurised by your family, relatives and friends in having to make a decision
within a relatively short and finite period of time. In many cases your friends
and your parents end up influencing and ultimately making the decisions for
you .This can and often does happen without you even being conscious of it as
they are doing it for your own good.
The right decision can only be made if you have a good understanding of
yourself as well as access to the breadth and depth of career information and
advice necessary to make an informed decision. Unfortunately, conditions are
far from ideal and inevitably mistakes can and do occur. There are
fundamentally two approaches to career development. You are either fortunate
enough to know exactly who you want to be and what you want to do for the
rest of your life or you dont and need to find out the hard way, through trial
and error.
a. Know who you want to be and go for it!
A minority of young people are capable of expressing a natural disposition

towards music, art, mathematics, or other specialisms at an early age. These are
not miracles of nature but simply individuals who have been fortunate enough
to get exposure to a sufficiently wide range of activities and disciplines to
identify a hidden talent, skill set or comfort zone. The ability to identify
talent at a young age depends on the breadth of exposure and quality of
incentives provided by parents and early educational systems.

The main advantage of this approach is that if you get it right then you can
benefit from an early start to a potentially successful career. You can
concentrate on excelling and developing a competitive edge rather than testing
unchartered waters.
The downside is that if you get it wrong, you end up having to backtrack and in
many cases start from square one. Depending on how far along the career path
you are, going into reverse gear half way down your career can be a costly,
painful and frustrating exercise. However, I believe its far worse to avoid
change and accept being stuck in a mediocre job or career.
During my fifteen years of recruitment I have witnessed a significant increase in

the number of cases of career changers: an economist working for a bank who
was yearning to become a medical doctor, a medical researcher aspiring to be a
businessman, a sales director wanting to be priest, a teacher wanting to become
a salesperson, an accountant wanting to be an independent business consultant
etc.
b. Dont know who you really want to be but willing to find out
If you havent yet found your comfort zone then you will have to adopt the
trial and error approach. This is potentially a very productive approach as long
as you can learn from your mistakes and are willing to consider every mistake
as a valuable learning experience. People who dont learn from their mistakes
and fail to adjust are very easy to spot. They invariably go on complaining
about their job and employer for the rest of their working life until they are
forced to change.
This approach requires one to be more receptive to ideas and suggestions and
above all more proactive in testing and comparing different and, in some cases,
totally unrelated experiences.

Lack of information and professional career guidance together with potentially
biased influence of relatives and friends can often prevent you from realising
your true potential.
Because of the risks and difficulties involved in this approach, more decisions
are being made on purely pragmatic and economic grounds. Many students
choose subjects, specialisations and careers which they perceive to be more
marketable and to have higher earning potential. They dont realise until much
later that finding a job that fits is more important.
Sooner or later you need to find out what you like and dont like doing, what
you are good at and what you are not, preferably a career path which reconciles
the differences between what you are passionate about, what you are good at
and what is more marketable and financially rewarding.
Put in a more professional context, you will need to identify yourself a set of
skills and a knowledge base upon which you can build a satisfying career as
well as secure a financial platform.
There is a job out there which might well have the ideal ingredients for
triggering off and unleashing the most gratifying and effective use of your
personal assets. This exercise takes time but should be ideally completed by the
age of 30. At this age employers expect you to have identified and successfully
acquired a portfolio of skills and knowledge. Today it is perfectly acceptable for
graduates to have experienced three to four jobs prior to the age of 30.
This strategy of trial and error combined with the need for diversification
generally takes more time, is more frustrating and ultimately can escalate into a
prolonged psychological and economic struggle. It can take you well beyond
the age of 30. However, whilst it appears to be the riskier of the two strategies,
it is probably the most effective in identifying ones true potential. There is

more risk of accepting and nurturing a mediocre and unfulfilling career by
being pressurised into specialising too early.
The pressure to specialise, to a large extent, has been caused and fuelled by
employers who increasingly discriminate in favour of younger employees with
more specialised education, expertise and competencies, ideally capable of
being productive on the first day of employment. The majority of small to
medium-sized employers often do not have resources or the necessary
infrastructure to formally train their new intakes.
Stage 2: Growth (age 30-40)
One has by now successfully homed into a comfort zone and locked in a skill
set and knowledge base which constitute the foundation stones and building
blocks for the next leg of the journey (stage two).
The development and growth stage is usually associated with the 30-40 age
group: young professionals who are more than likely to be embarking on a
major turning point in both their professional and personal lives. At this point,
there is a desire to focus on developing a career and possibly start a family.
It is the beginning of a very challenging, exciting and rewarding period, a

unique window of opportunity to work hard in a focused manner, give it your
all to make things happen and, if possible, build up your savings and assets.
This is the proverbial make or break stage of your career, less room and time
for trials, let alone errors, especially with a family in the making and a
significant mortgage. You need to be more cautious about career moves and
prioritise those opportunities which add value and broaden your current skills
and knowledge and make you more marketable. Avoid changing job for a salary
raise only because there is a real risk of being boxed into an identical job with
no headroom for learning or career advancement. Paradoxically, the strategy of
aiming for a perfect fit between your profile and your next job in theory

sounds right but in practice could easily undermine your long-term career
objectives.
In this stage, you are under increasing pressure to reconcile the responsibilities
of a family life and the demands of changing work patterns. The notion of
work-life balance becomes a hard reality and pops up as a new dial on your
career dashboard. Your ability to gauge, fine-tune and ultimately gain control
of your work-life balance is probably one of the most difficult ongoing
decisions you will have to make. Your career drive can and does overheat
sooner than you expect and as such can easily spill over to your personal life.
Typically, the point at which your personal and financial requirements peak
coincides with the period when your career is at maximum risk of failing (i.e.
late thirties and mid forties) ultimately throwing you into a what is often
labelled a mid-career crisis in the form of your first redundancy.
Again, there is no preventive measure to avoid this risk. Being aware of the
inevitability of the work-life balance trade-off and potential implications is half
the battle. The rest of the solution depends on your willingness, ability and
readiness to learn fast and to make the necessary adjustments. It often takes a
major career shake-up to identify a different and better career. The significant
proportion of candidates that I personally witnessed have successfully managed
to convert a perceived crisis into a unique platform to launch a new career
altogether or establish their own business.
Stage 3: Consolidation (age 40-50)
The consolidation stage encompasses the 40-50 age group and is not without its
difficulties. Your financial requirements remain constant, if not increase. In this
phase you can witness career advancement though there is less room at the top
of the corporate ladder. It is also tougher to get to the top because getting there
requires a different set of skills including man-management, leadership, vision,
ability to motivate and deliver results through people, political acumen and the

ability to take risk. If for whatever reason you fall short of these new
requirements then your career growth is likely to slow down, consolidate,
plateau and, at worse, head south.
When this happens, it is time to go back to the drawing board, evaluate both
internal and external career options and selecting those which will put you in
the best condition to maintain your financial status and if possible progress your
career. This could imply changing job within your current employment, moving
to another related company or industry and if necessary changing your career
altogether.
Stage 4: Preservation (age 50 plus)
Yes, believe it or not, there is plenty of life and career after 50. Some people
dont have a choice, for they need to carry on for economic reasons (such as
raising a young family). Others are still totally addicted to work, irrespective of
the amount of wealth they have accumulated.
Those lucky few who have successfully managed to climb up the corporate
ladder and cash in their share of the business or receive a golden handshake are
home and dry. Let us not concern ourselves with these individuals. All we can
do is learn how they got there in the first place, manage to stay at the top for so
long and, more importantly, what personal costs and sacrifices they incurred.
Do these individuals still have a life, let alone a work-life balance, to speak of?
Unlikely, or at least not at a cost which you would be prepared to pay.
For the majority of those who fall short of their career objectives and
expectations, this stage represents another major crossroad .You are forced to
scale down your employment expectations, take stock, become more
resourceful, self-reliant, self-motivated and creative than ever before to secure
your future. In most cases it involves a major change in attitude and habits at a
time in your life when you are most resistant to change and averse to risk. The

good news is by now you should have acquired sufficient experience,
knowledge and skills to make more informed decisions regarding your future
career.
Its a good time to pull over to the side, temporarily stop the car, look at your
work-life balance dial, fuel gauge and that new road map you bought years ago
but never had the chance to use.
About the author
Born in New York of Dutch mother and Italian diplomat father, Guido Egidi travelled
widely before starting the London-based specialist recruitment firm Stanlake Search
where he is managing director. He has a BSc from London School of Economics and
an MBA from Insead. He may be contacted via http://www.stanlake.co.uk.

Who Am I? look inside before searching outside
by Balbir Chagger
The purpose of a relationship is not to have another who might complete you,
but to share your completeness with them. "Conversations with God (Book 1)"
Neale Donald Walsch
We spend most of our lives trying to please others in return for love, affection,
acceptance and recognition. Our personalities are somewhat conditioned and
shaped by our parents patterns and beliefs. We continue to operate
unconsciously from values and habits formed at a young age well into
adulthood until a major event in our life forces us to reassess where we are, how
we arrived there, where we want to be, and most importantly, who we are.
Most of us enter relationships expecting the other person to match up to the

expectations in our own minds. We have criteria that the other person should
live up to. Essentially, it is as if the other person exists to please us, to look after
our needs and wants, to complete us, to make us feel whole, to make us feel
acceptable and desirable. We assume that the other person knows all this as it is
rarely communicated or discussed. When we disappointingly realise that our
partner is not even recognising, let alone, fulfilling our needs or wants, we
protest that we have been let down, hurt, manipulated, or used.
It was really different when we first got together; we would chat about
everything, and when we moved in together, we would share the choresnow
we hardly talk and when we do, we end up rowing and not being able to agree
on anything and I end up crying. Female, 28
It was great when we first met; she would say how great what I did was, go to
football matches with menow she never has a nice word to say about me or

what I do and resents my football activitiesI dont know what Ive done wrong
and its really upsetting. Male 30
No matter how professionally and financially successful we are, that is not an

indicator of relationship success. The mind seems to function on two different
levels and does not automatically transfer skills, knowledge and awareness from
a business context into a personal context.
"We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or

desperation." Jim Rohn
People usually decide to see a counsellor at a desperate stage in their

relationship. Having made the decision to see a counsellor, those who were
expecting a magic wand solution stop attending after a session or two. Those
who are really committed to personal change reap the rewards.
In the beginning of a counselling session, clients look at me with a blank stare

when I ask Who are you? Therein usually lies the core problem. 99% of the
people I work with, regardless of gender, have never actually thought about
who they are, apart from their job title.
Why change?
"Whatever your present situation, I assure you that you are not your habits. You
can replace old patterns of self-defeating behaviour with new patterns, new
habits of the effectiveness, happiness, and trust-based relationships." Stephen
Covey
When we want different and better results in our lives, it is in our interest to
address our negative behaviours, thoughts, actions and expectations.

Identity crisis
"When you wage war on the disturbing emotions, there is no doubt that you will
have hardship and problems. In ordinary life no one goes to war expecting to
experience peace and happiness." The Dalai Lama
The process of looking inwards leads to a temporary identity crisis as we

explore and attempt to come to terms with the fact that at our core, we are not
just our job title or other titles such as mother, father, wife, husband, sister,
brother, daughter, son, girlfriend or boyfriend. Experiencing a crisis can make
us feel weak, foolish, not good enough, not skilled enough, out of control,
powerless and drained. A crisis can make us or break us. It can be, if we allow
it, character building, enabling us to see opportunities and possibilities in the
world through fresh eyes.
In many cases, it is just too frightening to look at ourselves. We revert back into
our comfort zone that may be limiting us but nevertheless allow us to know
where we are. At this point, driven by our fear, we kid ourselves that we are
happy as we are.
Many people in their 60s regret not being able to be themselves in relationships
which caused much sadness, loneliness and hurt.
I wish I had listened and taken more note of what was being said. Instead I
thought I knew best and spent most of time blaming... things could have been so
different had I just not thought about my ego, been so controlling and had paid
more attention to how I was contributing so ashamedly to the whole
relationship... I wouldnt have put up with m.e Male, 64
I did things the way I had seen my parents, especially, my mother do

Looking back, my relationship was great and would have lasted had I not been
so intent on being right and accusing all the time. I paid the price when I

found someone else, the same thing happened to me, all over again. I just wish I
had known myself better then. Female, 62
The other side
The Past: Our cradle, not our prison; there is danger as well as appeal in its
glamour. The past is for inspiration, not imitation, for continuation, not
repetition. Israel Zangwill
After several counselling sessions, I usually see a very different person coming
through the door --- one who is confident, self accepting, warm, and sincere.
Clients go through the crisis of who am I: blaming for my situation, how
on earth can it be my fault, perhaps I did play a part in all my experiences to
how do I want my life to be, what do I need to do to achieve it, taking
responsibility for my attitudes and actions and knowing who I am. They
eventually know the answers to where I come from, where I am and where I am
going.
I may not be bad at relationships but have things undermining thembe more
focused and plan relationship strategy. Make time for me/thought/relationship
planning. Female, 38
For the first time for many years I felt in control of my life all my concerns and
emptiness disappeared everything became achievable and I knew which
direction to take and I was firmly in the driving seat. My sessions were a real
pleasure and I never wanted them to end, I was always supported and motivated
and lead to all my answers in a professional and thoroughly enjoyable
manner. Male, 44
Who Cares Who I Am?
It is in our interest to care about who we are. Who we are determines how
happy, loving and fulfilling our relationships are, how much and what we

achieve in life. It determines our satisfaction with life as a whole. We are able to
recognise the wider impact of our thoughts and behaviours. It puts us in the
driving seat and in a better position to navigate the direction of our life.
"The 'Inside-Out' approach to personal and self; even more fundamentally, to

start with the most inside part of self - with your paradigms, your character,
and your motives. The Inside-Out approach says that private victories precede
public victories, that making and keeping promises to ourselves precedes
making and keeping promises to others. It says it is futile to put personality
ahead of character, to try to improve relationships with others before improving
ourselves." Stephen Covey
Exercise
Think of yourself as a physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual

being.
1 In each of these categories list all your strengths and weaknesses (as you
perceive them)
2 Ask a couple of trusted friends, who can be objective, how they perceive
you in all of these areas
3 Think about what is going on internally and externally to produce the

difference in perceptions
4 List what do you need to do to become the person you know you are
capable of being; do you need more
skills, change your way of thinking, look at your beliefs, think about your
actions and consequences,

change your job, your circle of friends, your hobbies, read different
material, eat healthily and exercise
more?
5 Create an action plan. Decide what you want to achieve by when and start.
Consider who you need as part of your support team for example,
counsellor, friend, work colleague, image consultant.
6 Enjoy the process and enjoy yourself.
About the author
Born in Punjab, India of Sikh parents, Balbir Chagger emigrated to England at the age
of 6. Her childhood was very fraught. Raised in a strict Indian culture, she endured
enormous internal conflict in attempting to reconcile her Asian identity with Western
values, beliefs, roles, and prejudices.
Drawing from her own personal trauma, life experience, and observations as a child,
teenager, woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother, single parent, partner, confidant,
counsellor, motivator, inspirer, trainer, and public speaker, Balbir is now a well
known, compassionate, and respected Relationship Expert.
Wanting to empower, inspire, and make a positive contribution to as many individuals

as possible, Balbir co-founded a centre for relationships at
http://www.harleyrelationshipcentre.com
Using proven methodology the Harley Relationship Centre provides clients with both
the self-awareness they need and the necessary steps they have to take to find and
attract a loving partner and then build a solid foundation for a happy, fulfilling,
lifelong, and loving relationship.

Where Good Decisions Flounder the
implementation phase
By Mark Forster
After going through the decision making process, we have come to a decision.
What happens next?
In discussions of the dynamics of decision making, there is a tendency to

neglect the implementation phase. There is an unspoken assumption that once
the decision has been make everything else will follow as a matter of course.
Once the decision-making process has delivered the right answer it can bow out.
Unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. Our everyday experience
tells us that coming to an intellectual decision about the right answer is one
thing; actually seeing change as a result is quite another. Many decisions get
made, but never carried out. Indeed many decisions get made and quite the
opposite gets put into practice.
How often do we hear people complaining in words like these?
Ive decided to do such-and-such, but I havent got time at the moment.
I really meant to take action on this, but I keep putting it off.
I know exactly what needs doing, but I just cant get moving on it.
These sorts of expressions are all symptoms that an essential part of the
decision-making process has been missed out. The speakers have reached the
stage where they have decided what action to take, but they have not yet
reached the stage where they have decided to take the action.

If you imagine yourself lying in bed in the morning thinking that it is time to get
up, you have already made the decision that it is time to get up. But the bed is
warm and comfortable and it is cold outside. What is lacking is the decision to
actually get out of bed. If you watch your mind while you are in this situation,
you will often find that suddenly you are out of bed. You couldnt say how you
made the decision to get out of bed. It seemed to come out of nowhere. One
moment you were in bed and the next you were out of it. The only way you
know that you have made the decision to get out of bed is that you have actually
got out of bed.
It is exactly the same with any other decision. You can only know that you have
really made the decision, when you have started to take action to put that
decision into effect.
So there is one very important rule here:
No decision has been made until some action has been taken to put it into effect.
This means that we can only fully know that we have made a decision when our
actions start to reflect that decision. At that point the decision has ceased to
become a matter for discussion and has become a matter for the will.
Now this poses a problem because many decisions we make are not about
things we can action immediately. How can we commit ourselves to action
about a project that we have decided to do next week, or in six months time?
This is in fact exactly where many supposed decisions founder. Once the
decision maker has made the decision, they dont know what to do with it. If
they start action on it immediately, it disrupts their other work. If they dont
start action immediately, it gets lost.
The reason it gets lost is because the vast majority of people have no proper

system for taking on new work. So anything new which they decide to take on
has to sink or swim in a sea of conflicting commitments and priorities. And very
often when the new project sinks it takes several other projects with it!
Any decision to take on a new project must always be taken in the context of
our existing workload. We must look at the projects we are already involved in.
What effect is the new project going to have on them?
Accordingly the final part of the decision process is this:
Once we have decided what we are going to do, the next step is to decide when
we are going to do it.
But even deciding when we are going to do something is not going to be

effective if we do not have the structure in place to make sure that we will carry
it out at the time we have decided.
Lets now look at some of the ways by which we can provide that structure.
In the case of a decision to take a single one-off action, it appears easy to take
action. We just go and do it. So if I make a decision to buy a certain book, all I
have to do is to sign on to Amazon and buy it. If I make a decision to approach
a certain person for advice, then I can immediately call her.
The decision is made and action follows immediately. That is decision

implementation at its purest and most simple.
But wait! It is not quite as simple as that. Constantly making decisions to take
minor actions can prove highly disruptive to the work we already have in hand.
This is where most of the interruptions that people complain about come
from. For example, we are working at an important report when someone
approaches us with a problem, and we decide to spring into action to fix the

problem. The work on the report goes out of the window. What disrupted our
work was not so much the decision to fix the problem, but the decision to fix the
problem now.
So even with the simplest of decisions requiring no more than one simple action
to complete them, there is a problem: we cant say we have taken the decision
until we have taken some action in accordance with it, but to take the action
immediately may be either impossible or undesirable or both.
How can we confirm this type of simple decision like ordering a book or calling
someone if it is going to be disruptive to do it immediately? If we dont do
something to confirm it, it is likely to inhabit that never-never land at the back
of our minds where all the things we meant to do someday live. And weeks
down the line we will say: Oh, no! I meant to call so-and-so and I forgot!
For many people the answer is obvious. They write it on their to-do list.
The trouble with a to-do list is that it isnt a list of things we have decided to do
so much as a list of things we think we ought to do sometime. There is no
decision about when to do the task involved. The horrid truth about most to-do
lists is that they never get completed. This is because they are open-ended and
therefore constantly filling up with new items. So our decision may languish for
weeks on the to-do list among many other items before finally we get frustrated
and tear the whole thing up.
So how can we confirm that decision?
The simplest and easiest way of confirming a one-off task that results from a
decision is to write it down on an action list. The best type of action list is a list
of actions that you are going to do tomorrow. Notice how that is phrased: a list
of actions that you are going to do tomorrow, not that you think you ought to

do tomorrow. The key thing about this sort of action list is that you intend to
complete it every day. It is a Will Do list, rather than a To Do list.
However the sort of major decision that would involve you in going through the
full Decision Making Process is usually going to involve a lot more than just
one action.
In this case, you need to enter the project into your Current Projects list. If you
dont have a Current Projects list then you might as well forget about
implementing your decision. It is virtually impossible to work effectively
without a list of the projects you are currently working on.
A Current Projects List consists of a list of the projects you are currently
working on, together with how long it will take to complete each project and
what the estimated completion date is for each project. Longer projects are
broken down into stages. That way you can see exactly what effect any new
project is going to have on your work-load.
The cardinal rule for dealing with projects is: Get projects up and running one at
a time. This is because getting a project (or a new stage in a major project)
moving requires focus and concentration. You cant afford to be trying to focus
on getting more than one project going at once.
Remember the key to implementing decisions is to have an effective method of

taking on and controlling new work, whether this consists of a single task or a
major project.
Summary
The decision about what action to take has to be followed by the decision to
take that action.

The key to implementing decisions is to have an effective system for taking on
new work.
For small one-off actions the best system is to write them on your list of tasks
for action tomorrow.
For larger projects, they should be entered into your Current Projects List with
the time in days you estimate they will take to complete, together with the
estimated completion date.
For major projects, split them into stages and enter each stage into your Current
Projects List as above.
About the author
Mark Forster is author of Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play and
How to Make Your Dreams Come True. He is also a life coach who specializes in
helping people release their talents and creativity by bringing order into their chaotic
lives. His website www.markforster.net contains many more resources, many of them
free

About Le Bon Journal
Bon Journal began life on 30th April 2001 as a continuation of the consecutive
365-day Diary of Anne Ku from the web site analyticalQ.com, a platform for
self-expression.
A year later in 2002, Le Bon Journal newsletter series was launched as two-
page compilations of the best online entries of Bon Journal around the themes
of music, writing, decision making, love, clutter, home renovations, smoking,
travel, and other subjects of interest. The 24 issues, published in 2002 and 2003,
are available freely from the bonjournal.com website.
Early 2004 saw the launching of the multi-contributory Le Bon Journal e-zine.
Le Bon Journal (LBJ) e-zine (electronic magazine) is a free publication for self-
expression intended to promote the arts. Five free issues have been produced
without sponsorship on career change, life decisions, relationships,
anniversaries, and uprooting. Unlike the newsletters in which the short articles
are authored by Anne Ku, the Le Bon Journal e-zine are collections of longer
articles contributed by people with experience of the themes of the issue. The e-
zines can be freely downloaded as PDF files from the bonjournal.com website.
Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making is the first e-book published on the
bonjournal.com website. Like other publications and online journal entries,
readers feedback will be published in the Readers Write section.
Le Bon Journal invites readers to submit feedback and reviews of published

work, suggestions for future themes and publications, proposals for
sponsorship, and ideas to keep http://www.bonjournal.com free, alive, and
independent. Please use the Contact Editor form on the website.
Copyright 2006 Anne Ku, editor Le Bon Journal

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Sree Kumar, author of Lifelong learning: Reinventing or Retooling, was

Guido Egidi, author of The Four Stages of Career Management, is the

Balbir Chagger, author of Who Am I? look inside before searching

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 2

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 3

Anne Ku Making Decisions, Making Choices Page 5

Anne Ku Flexing the Decision Page 12

Sree Kumar Lifelong Learning: Reinventing or Retooling Page 19

Guido Egidi The Four Stages of Career Management Page 24

Balbir Chagger Who Am I? look inside before searching outside Page 33

About Le Bon Journal Page 45

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 4

We learn to choose from a young age. From trivial decisions to life-threatening

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 5

A decision is a conclusion reached after analysis or thought, which can range

I decide under pressure. Some people are unwilling or unable to decide

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 6

I decide when I am ready to. Decision experts speak of confidence in

I dont like to decide. I let others decide or shirk it altogether. Decision

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 7

Wants and expectations

Do we decide according to what we want or what is expected of us? In some

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 8

A journalist, in pursuit of a story lead, invites a company president to dinner.

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 9

Decision making: more than choosing

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 10

About the author

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 11

Dealing with uncertainty

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 12

One way of introducing flexibility in a decision is by relaxing the constraints.

When presented with two choices, neither of which is 100% satisfactory in

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 13

Extending the deadline of a decision enables us to look for additional

We can also introduce flexibility by redefining a decision, such as by splitting a

The daunting task of decluttering or re-organising your home, once partitioned,

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 14

Options: the right but not the obligation

An option is a way of obtaining or increasing the amount of flexibility in a

We often unknowingly give ourselves flexibility as a way to get out of a future

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 15

A housekey, like login and password combinations to Internet sites, is an option

Options in legal contracts

A legal contract, by definition, is an obligation to agree to certain terms and

A mediation or arbitration provision, for example, allows either party to give

Break causes, such as "liquidated damages, "buyout provisions," and notice

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 16

Options to renew can be one-sided or mutual. They are generally structured in

Performance-related options are prevalent in employment contracts. An

The future of flexibility

In an age of increasing uncertainty and complexity, never mind the over

That flexibility is not always useful warns us of a potential downside or even a

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 17

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 18

We all feel it. At some time or other, what we do appears to be meaningless.

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 19

Le Bon Journal Guide to Decision Making Page 20

How do you assess the cost/benefits and return on investment of further

I think it would be a mistake to calculate a cost-benefit ratio before embarking

Advice for a 15 year old