Making Random Decisions Is as Reliable as Luck
Get up in the morning, get working, solve today’s problems go have fun is that the way life is working for you? Facing each day with a single-day view will get you through a life or a career, but at the end you may find that many of those days might have put to better use.
If you think of it making random decisions probably has about the same long-term results as relying on luck.
Strategy is a longer view, a stronger view, and a more useful way of leveraging opportunity too.
20 Everyday Situations That Strategy Could Turn to Opportunity Right Now!
With a mind toward strategy, you can leverage the opportunity in any situation, fix the problem your facing, open the door that isn’t moving and get things working FOR you. Strategy is not some high-falutin’ sort of thinking that only great minds do.
It’s a method of solving problems. Did you ever want to …
- be more visible in your circle?
- become the first, trusted source at what you do?
- settle a conflict without becoming part of it?
- help solve a problem with friend, family or coworkers?
- enlist powerful people to your cause?
- get sponsors for an event or meeting?
- quit a bad habit or change unhealthy thinking?
- get out of debt or pay off a loan?
- negotiate a new or better position?
- get upgraded to a better hotel room?
- change how people see you?
- raise money for your cause?
- get a meeting with someone you admire?
- find a new career that fits you?
- organize a group trip?
- motivate people to join you in something cool?
- get a raise you deserve or raise your rates without worry
- start doing what you were meant to do with you life?
- do damage control?
- start investing in a retirement you look forward to?
Too often we walk into all of the above situations without putting together a system for finding success. A clear strategy could turn any of those 20 (or most other) everyday situations into an opportunity rather than leaving the outcome to instincts and chance.
What Isn’t Strategy and What It Is
We use the word strategy as a synonym for the word way or the word plan. It’s not right, but it sounds cool. Bet you’ve heard people say things like this …
- I’ve figured out how to use two tools to offer a new strategy for making money online.
- My strategy is to say “yes” and then do whatever I want.
- Our strategy this year is to focus on growing by 50%.
- It was a bad strategy to spend money on that vacation.
- Our long-term strategy is marry well and have a house with a great view.
Those are not strategies. Some aren’t even decisions or plans.
Strategy is more and more useful in our lives than most folks expect.
Strategy isn’t a business tool. It’s not a single goal, or a choice, or good idea, or a description of what we’re going to do. Strategy is a practical system that changes how we view and interact with the world.
Next time you have a situation that offers a change of any kind bring some strategy with you before you respond. Here’s how to do that.
- Think about the outcome that you want to achieve — your goals.
- Think about the people involved and what motivates them — their goals.
- Think about your position and what you bring that adds value to THEIR goals.
- Think about what you might offer to align your goals with theirs.
- Think about how you can turn your what you want — your opportunity into a benefit for them.
Start by listening to what you know and asking questions to hear more about what they know. Offer a few suggestions that are unfinished, allowing everyone to participate in defining a great outcome. Call the group to action. Then claim and celebrate the agreed upon result! The hardest part is thinking it through before you begin.
How have you used strategy to build opportunity into your life right now?
Be irresistible!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
