Today I met with a CEO who faces an important decision to make that could impact the success of his company for decades. Weighing his options, he mentioned pros and cons of the alternatives. Both were good options that aligned with his values. Yet, he felt unsure about either and wanted to work through the decision in our session, because time is of the essence to choose and begin implementing one of the alternatives.
Then I reflected back to him what I observed. I noted that as he was describing the first option, let’s call it Option A, his eyes lit up, his voice was clear, his posture was strong and his energy was higher. As he described the second option, Option B, his voice was lower, his head bent down, and he seemed to lose energy.
This reflection offered him insight into his decision that he hadn’t considered previously. He saw that innately he had a preference for Option A. Upon further reflection, he said while there were advantages to both, though Option B would be quicker to implement, he felt in his gut that Option A would bring more value and be in the best long term interest of his business, and also offer him time freedom that Option B didn’t offer. He decided to pursue Option A, with Option B as a fallback strategy.
The blind spot for this client was that he was out of touch with his internal guidance system for this decision because of the positives in both options. There was not an imminent danger (shark attack) in either option. The shark was years away, hidden long term costs that he couldn’t assess without closer examination of the landscape. But upon tapping into his somatic responses and considering why his energy flowed to Option A, he was able to confidently make a choice and move forward.
What are you facing that you can’t see? Connecting with others can widen your perspective and offer tremendous value.
Coaching is also a powerful tool to help people make better decisions by opening their eyes to what they can’t see. If you are a small business owner making important decisions, and would like to minimize or eliminate blind spots, consider booking a free strategy session or contact me about my 2021 CEO Mastermind Groups.
Christine Rose, ACC
Business & Executive Coach | Forbes Coaches Council | Prosperity-Building Coach™| Certified Psychological Safety Coach | Certified Taylor Protocols CVI™ Coach
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