{"id":2732,"date":"2019-06-21T06:00:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T10:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?post_type=columns&p=2732"},"modified":"2021-12-23T09:27:45","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T14:27:45","slug":"stop-sabotaging-your-own-good-ideas","status":"publish","type":"columns","link":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/stop-sabotaging-your-own-good-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop sabotaging your own good ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the biggest challenges for any green industry business owner is learning a better a way of doing something and sticking with it. It\u2019s always tempting to try a new approach to some aspect of our business, so we go for it. Initially, the new way works well and we implement it. We keep using it for a while, but eventually, for one reason or another we stop and go back to doing it the old way. Why does this happen?<\/p>\n

One reason is that we haven\u2019t stayed with the new way long enough to create a permanent behavior change. Yes, the new way is more efficient and gets better results, but the old way had some benefits too. Maybe the old way was easier or didn\u2019t require as much thought. Regardless of the reason for going back to the old way, we must decide once and for all to stick with the new way, at least long enough until an even better way comes along.<\/p>\n

Pick one new method of conducting some aspect of your business. Write it out on a 3\u00d75 card, and post it in your office in plain sight. Commit to using this new method for 30 days and consistently use it for that length of time. At the end of the 30 days, decide if a permanent switch is warranted.<\/p>\n

To help you decide, use the Ben Franklin method. Take out a sheet of paper, and at the top of the page, write down the decision you\u2019re trying to make. Draw a line underneath that sentence; then draw another line down the middle of the page. At the top of the column on the left, write down the words, \u201cReasons for using the new way.\u201d At the top of the column on the right, write down the words, \u201cReasons for not using the new way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now write down as many reasons under each heading as you can think of. Let the column with the most reasons decide for you. On page 27, there’s an example of a decision chart listing the pros and cons of implementing a new inventory system.<\/p>\n

Franklin\u2019s system can help make deciding easier. Writing down the \u201creasons for\u201d and the \u201creasons against\u201d something on paper allows you to see the matter objectively. Ultimately, you\u2019ll have to decide if a change is worth making in the long run.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another method I share with my green industry clients that can help you make better decisions and stick with them. It was invented by business consultant Nido Qubein.<\/p>\n

Before I share this method, let me preface it with a question: Have you ever been faced with a tough business decision, one that involved a substantial amount of risk? Perhaps it was a decision that wasn\u2019t purely black or white but with several shades of gray to it \u2014 not an easy decision, but one that had to be made.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often been said that with risk comes opportunity; the greater the risk, the greater the opportunity.<\/p>\n

In order to make a good decision about an opportunity when it presents itself in the form of a risk, one needs to have a strategy. This is not the time to shoot from the hip or react without totally thinking things through; that could end badly. It takes a logical and balanced approach, one that allows you to look at the situation from a number of different angles, so you can make not just an intellectual choice but an emotionally balanced one too.<\/p>\n

Use this decision-making approach when considering:<\/strong><\/p>\n