We
live in a world that offers so many choices these days for just about anything
you can think of. Think about even the
easiest things like a cup of coffee. You
want that tall, grande, vente (what happened to small, medium or large)?
Caramel, Mocha, Pumpkin spice, Chai? Whole milk, skim or non fat? Iced, Hot, or blended? Whip, no whip? What happened to just ordering a cup of coffee
with cream and sugar?
In
the video Sheena talks about four methodologies that can help us to make choices
the right way. The first is Cut which means to get rid of, let go
of. The second one is Concretization which means to
understand the consequences of said choices by seeing it in a concrete way. The
third is Categorization which helps
us to understand how to deal with the many choices we have by putting them into
categories so we can tell which group is which.
The fourth is Condition for
complexity which means when we go from a small number of choices to many we
are not as overwhelmed and can handle making more complex decisions rather than
being overwhelmed at the start and just picking the standard options.
Cut
and Concretization are two techniques that I want to talk about here. The term cut is pretty straightforward…like a
pair of scissors used to cut away that extra piece of ribbon you get rid of
what you don’t need. I have been making
efforts to cut back on things in my personal life that I don’t need by taking a
day once every few months to go through different rooms in the house so that by
the end of the year I have hit every room and “cut” out that extra fluff we don’t
need. For example I love to cook and
tend to buy a lot of kitchen appliances because they look cool and I tell
myself I will use them. I waste time,
money and kitchen space on things I will either never use or may only use once
or twice.
I
bought a pair of “chicken shears” from Pampered Chef for $26 that I have used a
total of zero times. When I purchased it
I told myself it would make cutting up chicken, cooked or raw so much easier
than using a knife. I put it in the
drawer and frankly forgot all about it.
Every once in a while when I am looking for something in that drawer I
come across that waste of space and tell myself I will use it. It is about time to make some cuts so I will be
bringing things I don’t use to work and giving them away so they become someone
else’s problem.
Making
cuts in my organization, specifically my department has been something we work
hard at every day. I am working on our
forms for the upcoming academic year and we have certain verbiage that has to
be included but I am trying to make the forms shorter and easier to understand
without losing the message. Instead of
having to print out multiple manuals on our processes we use OneNote to store
and add to processes and procedures to eliminate having to print out paper
which has to be put in a notebook and takes up space on a shelf. Both in my personal and professional life I
must make a conscience effort to make cuts where needed by evaluating the need
to said items. I have to ask myself, “Do
I really need this? Will it make my
processes better? Can I cut out some things
and still get the job done?” If I can
answer yes than I know I can make some cuts without sacrificing anything in the
end.
Concretization
to me is pretty easy to use. I use
visualization a lot so this works well for me.
Reading a description about something without the visual is good but you
may not make that connection that you would if you saw it in pictures or in a
more descriptive way. For example, there
is a commercial that comes on the radio for an apartment complex I will call “M.
Gardens”. The announcer describes the
units as being very spacious, the feeling of a house in an apartment.
He
goes on to describe the beautiful grounds and that many of the managers live on
property as well. I have driven past
this place before and I can tell you that in no way does this place look
anything like what it is described as. If
one were to base their decision solely on this description without seeing it in
a concrete way they would be greatly disappointed when they arrived. One must weigh out their options; look at the
big picture if you will. Take into
consideration cost, value, surrounding and the pros and cons of the decision
you will make.
In
my department we have training frequently because we have found that by
actually showing the processes and how to make changes the right way they get
it better than just reading it in a manual.
When instructions are not clear or you can’t understand what the effects
are you don’t understand what your choices may have on the system you are more
likely to repeat these mistakes. We walk
through each step and show it on the big screen so that everyone can see what we
are talking about and everyone can understand what happens when the procedures
are not followed as they should be.
In
the video when Sheena used the example about using the ATM card instead of cash
and that hit home for me. I never carry
cash and always use my debit card for all of my purchases no matter the
amount. I know how much I am spending
but my daughter doesn’t understand this concept. She thinks it can be used at all times and
that there is always lots of money on it.
To help her understand money better I took money from her piggy bank and
counted out the total. Then I had her “buy”
a Barbie doll and use her money. After
this purchase I had her count her money again so she could see that she didn’t
have as much left over. It took a bit of
us playing this way but she gets it now that money, even if you can’t see it,
is real.
I
will continue to think through the choices and ways to make it more real to me
so I can make the best decision I can not only for myself and my family but in
my work environment as well. When I can
see what the consequences are of my actions ahead of time I can avoid making
mistakes or errors in judgment. This may
take time and a concrete effort but it is something that will help me become a
better leader.
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