making better decisions – Page 2

The Benefits Of Multi-Generational Advisors

Most mentors are older.

They have more experience.
They’ve learned sh*t
they want to pass on
to others.
And they are often
in giving back mode.

But many of
our prospective customers
are younger
than those mentors.

These prospects have
different life experiences,
different expectations,
different ways of communicating,
of finding possible products/services.

If all our advisors
are older,
we might not know
how to reach
these younger prospective customers.

Add people from EVERY generation
to your list of advisors.

An advisor doesn’t have to be
older or have more life experiences.

They merely have to know
sh*t we don’t know
or
have a different perspective
on our issues.

The Time Frame For Reliable Predictions

A meteorologist buddy confided that,
due to climate change,
he now can’t reliably predict weather
past 1 or 2 days.

He still supplies 7 day forecasts
because his employer
and the average person
demands it.

But the forecasts
for 5 or 6 days out of those 7
are wild guesses
and are likely to be wrong.

I can predict my book sales
semi-accurately
for the next 3 months.

Anything after that,
due to turmoil
and change in the industry,
is a wild guess.

Know how far in advance
you can semi-accurately predict
results.

Take that time frame
into account
when making decisions.

Just Because It Isn’t On The News…

A buddy in another country
told me
she was so relieved
the fires in my country
were now out.

The fires aren’t
out.
There are more fires
today
than there were
last week.

The news has
merely stopped
covering the fires
because they and viewers
are bored of that coverage.

Don’t make business decisions
based on the news coverage.

Do your own research.

The Cost Of Complete Certainty

Scientists have been warning
about increases in temperatures
due to climate change
and the impacts
that will have
on power grids
for years.

Some leaders
don’t ‘believe’ in climate change.
They claim to be 100% certain
it doesn’t exist.

So those leaders didn’t upgrade or modify
their power grids.
The grids, as predicted,
are going down
and people are dying.

THAT is the cost
of 100% certainty
– there’s a lack of preparation
if any other scenario happens.

If the leaders had been
90% certain
climate change
didn’t exist, for example,
they might have mitigated
the risk of the 10% scenario
happening
and worked on the power grids.

There is a cost
to complete certainty
or,
in this case,
complete denial.

If you’re 100% certain
about something,
consider the costs
of being wrong.

When Were You Last Wrong?

I am wrong.
Often.

Everyone is wrong.
Often.

Because we’re all making decisions
with only partial information.
And sometimes that information
is incorrect.

None of us
have all the information.

Situations are constantly
changing.

What is right today
might be wrong tomorrow.

When was the last time
you were wrong?

If that hasn’t happened
recently,
you’re likely
clinging to some bad decisions.

Reevaluate your processes
and increase your odds
of success.

If The Situation Changes…

Some dumba$$es are refusing
to wear masks
in areas thick with smoke.

They took a
no mask stance
for COVID
and
they’re applying that
to EVERY situation.

They’re f*cking up
their health
because they won’t
reevaluate their decisions
when situations change.

We do this in business also.

We decide never to use
a supplier,
for exampl,e
because we don’t like the owner.

The ownership changes
and we continue
to not use the supplier.

Because we are too stubborn
or lazy
to reevaluate the situation.
And that might cost us
money and/or other resources.

When a situation changes,
revisit decisions
related to that situation.

Ask Why

A marketing expert
mocked a florist
for having a “No Photos” sign.

He believed the issue
was other florists
stealing her designs.

I suspect the issue
was every teenager in the neighborhood
filming TikTok videos
in the florist shop,
prohibiting anyone
from shopping there.

We all make assumptions
regarding other people’s motivations.
That’s human.

But, before we make
business decisions
based on these assumptions,
we should ask the person
what their TRUE reason
for doing something was.

Assumptions are often wrong.
Verify them
before you act.

Confirm And Then Re-Confirm ‘Facts’

I post my truths
about business and the world
here.

But they could be
exactly that
– MY truths.

They might not apply
to your business
or your situation.

What I do,
when faced with
someone’s truth,
is ask myself
if my experience is similar.

In my corner of the world,
for example,
COVID is out of control.
It is everywhere.

That might not be the case
in your part of the universe.
Look around you.
Are the pharmacy shelves
holding cold medicines
empty?
When you’re in a crowd,
are people coughing?
Are hospitals full?

‘Truths’ also aren’t constant.
Reality shifts.
We gain more knowledge.
People change.

So I re-confirm my truths
every so often.

Are the hospitals still full?
Are quite a few people
around me
still sick?

I do this with
ALL of the truths
I’m basing my decisions on.

Confirm it is a truth.
Re-confirm it remains
a truth.

Make better decisions.

Reliable Data

There is SO much misinformation
floating around
that it is challenging
to find reliable data
with which
we can make business decisions.

I try my best
to look at data
that can’t be f*cked with
or manipulated.

For example,
if we’re looking at COVID numbers,
almost all of those stats
can be manipulated.
Infection numbers
are WAY f*ckin’ low
because many people are testing
in their homes.
ICU numbers
are also sh*t
because a lot of COVID cases
aren’t being counted
as COVID cases.
Even COVID death numbers
are sh*t
for the same reason.

The number that can’t be
f*cked with
(as much)
is…
Excess Deaths,
how many more deaths
per capita
we are enduring today
vs the average/a point in the past.

Our own data is also
semi-reliable
for decision making.

The government
(who wants to be re-elected)
can tell me
inflation is only X%
but if I look at
my expenses/cost of sales
and see
THAT increase is 2X%,
I will be using MY number
in my decision making.

Take the time
to ensure the data
you’re using
for decision making
is reliable.