Making Decisions

Susan M Barber Coaching & Consulting, LLC > Blog > Making Decisions

Are You Taking Advantage of Opportunities?

Are you letting opportunities pass you by? In every organization, there are processes that are inefficient, people who need training, frustrations about workload, and problems that need to be solved. These are just a few examples and there are many more that exist in a company.   How come no one is trying to solve them? The list of reasons usually sounds like this: lack of time, may not have the skills or expertise, don’t view it as part of their…
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Do You Think Boundaries are Bad or Good?

Someone asked me, what are your thoughts about boundaries? Hmm…good question I thought. My initial reaction was that I know that they are a good thing now, but I used to have so much resistance to putting boundaries in place for myself. I didn’t think of them as bad necessarily, but I felt like others might judge me if I said no because they would be disappointed. I was a people pleaser who cared more about other people and their…
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What If You Could Accomplish Multiple Goals at Once?

How do you accomplish your goals? Do you plan everything out or work with your team to do it? I know for me and my team, we would put together a plan for the goals. We would start by determining the outcome that we wanted for each goal, break the goal down into smaller milestones, determine resourcing needs, focus on making progress each month, and ultimately reach the goal. I know that sounds like it is so easy to do,…
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What Can Tough Situations Teach You?

How many times have you said or done something that you wished you could take back or change? I remember standing in front of a large audience at a conference and being so nervous. It was in the middle of the conference hall and not in a private room which is where all of my other speeches had been. There were no chairs for people to sit on. It was like speaking in the middle of the shopping mall and…
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When Is the Last Time You Asked for Help?

It’s okay to ask for help. This wasn’t something that I believed for many years. I saw it as a negative thing. I thought you had to do it all yourself and if you couldn’t then you were a failure. I know that this isn’t true now, but back when I was still learning about being a leader, it felt true. What I didn’t realize is that it is actually a sign of strength to ask for help, not a…
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Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Visibility?

“Is there such a thing as too much visibility?” This is a question that I get in nearly every speaking engagement that I do. When I press them for more information, it is usually a response similar to this one: “I don’t want to be seen as someone who brags or who takes up all the space in the room. I am afraid that I would be seen as that kind of person if I am being visible and I…
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Are You Focused on the Right Things?

When is the last time you reviewed the work that you are doing? I have spent time with a few different people this week on the work that they are doing in their groups and exploring if they could accomplish it in a new way. The conversation usually starts with a few questions like, “where are you overloaded or what are you or your team saying yes to instead of saying no?” They can usually come up with a list…
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Great Advice on Where to Spend Your Time

“You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” My former CEO shared that message with our group during a company wide presentation. We were going through a huge acquisition with an aggressive timeline to meet and she could see the stress that the organization was under to deliver on time. She wanted to make sure we focused on only what was absolutely necessary to get done.   I have shared that same message with clients when they are overwhelmed and…
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Does Your Manager Believe in Your Potential?

“Do you believe in me?” That is the question that most employees want to ask and get the answer from their managers, but they won’t ask it. Why won’t they ask the question? They are too afraid to hear the answer. Instead, they create stories of what their manager might be thinking…”What if my manager has stopped seeing my potential or doesn’t think I am ready for the next level?” So instead of simply asking the question, they will try…
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How Clear Is Your Communication?

Communication is something that most people do without thinking about it. They speak in a way that makes sense to them in meetings and assume that their message is being heard. If they don’t share the information in a clear and concise way then their message may not be getting through and they have no idea. Unclear communication can create a perception among their leadership that they aren’t ready for a higher level role. Why is it so challenging to…
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