The First Decision – ElPropósito3 min de lectura

How do we reduce the uncertainty of the first decision?

Photo by Jan Genge on Unsplash

The start of any decision, its first step, always carries some uncertainty. Today more than ever, uncertainty has become the main source of panic and anxiety, and in that state it’s almost impossible to think clearly and keep the horizon in view. Yet the hardest moments are also when our creativity for finding solutions shines brightest. How does a person, or a group of people, find resources where there seem to be none? Why does the first step matter so much in reducing uncertainty? How do we stay confident that the road we chose is the right one?

The road is made of decisions, and the ones we avoid set off a reaction that weakens our ability to get results. The good news is that we can always correct course. How? By rethinking the decision and taking action. Inaction, or shelving an issue (acting as if nothing is happening or nothing happened), only guarantees that sooner or later that shadow becomes real. Every day, like it or not, we have to decide. How do we know whether a decision is right? What I write about most is Purpose. With our purpose in hand, we hold the best decision filter we could ever build.

Obstacles and opportunities (I don’t buy the "obstacles or opportunities" split) are a way of seeing, being and living. Every obstacle is also an opportunity. The key is the perspective from which we view our problems. How do we spot the diamond of opportunity inside a challenge? Much of the answer lies in the thoughts swirling around the problem (worry, for example), and those thoughts are simply our interpretation of the event. What’s in our hands, then, is training ourselves to interpret what happens to us differently. In short, a shift in perspective. After losing my second son and asking what opportunity life was presenting me, I reached several personal conclusions about this life strategy I’ve learned, turning obstacles and challenges into opportunities.

Learning to live with uncertainty. Sailing through rough water or flying in the worst weather may be the skill every captain wants to master. We are all captains of our own ship, our life. If life is our ship, it needs a compass that always shows true north in any weather (our purpose in life), a code for how we want to behave on board each day (our values) and the port or ports where we’ll stop along the way for different reasons (our goals). With all that clear, the uncertainty that comes with the storms and fog of daily life only forges better captains.

Finally, surrounding yourself with good people along the way may be the cherry on top. They are what life’s compass is made of. I deeply believe life is about helping and giving, without limits.

Warm regards,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. 1. This week my VELA (watching, listening, reading and learning) comes down to the joy, good fortune and privilege of serving once again as a supervisor for the 15th cohort of INCAE Business School’s Executive Coaching certification. As always, it’s an honor to share one of the most wonderful and deeply human experiences life has given me, with wonderful people. Congratulations to my future fellow coaches. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you shared. I’m thrilled to see you coaching at such a high level. Thank you to my fellow supervisors, whose talent and friendship keep teaching me, and for the special spirit that comes alive every time we meet. And as always, special thanks to Patricia and Alfonso for being beings of light in a world so marked by uncertainty.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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