Making Effective Decisions
Making Effective Decisions provides a clear, structured process that you can use when making decisions, big and small. It challenges a number of myths about decision-making, most of which seem to be aimed at making people feel it’s difficult and ‘best left to experts’. It’s not difficult if you know how to do it, and you are the expert on your own life and choices! It’s based on my experiences running my own business and working as a coach.
Why will people feel more confident, competent and better equipped after reading this book?
One of the myths I mentioned above is that decision making is something you are either good at or not good at. Some people, we are told, are just ‘decisive’. But actually, decision making is a skill that can be learnt. Understanding this often frees people up and gives confidence: if you made bad decisions in the past, that is because you didn’t know how to do it right. You should feel more competent after reading the book – but the real learning will take place when you start putting the principles into action, which you can do straight away. As you do this, you will become ever better equipped to make decisions of all sizes. You will be able to trust your intuition more, as you will understand how it fits into the process.
Please tell us about save time, feel good and get smart.
Often we go round and around in circles when considering decisions, wasting lots of time. By having a trusted, clear process to follow, you will save huge amounts of time. This will make you feel good – as will the sense of empowerment that comes from making decisions in a confident, clear way: decision making is about taking control of your life. And the more you do it, the smarter you get.
Please tell us about becoming an entrepreneur.
I became an entrepreneur by simply following an opportunity when it came up. Entrepreneurs learn by doing things, not by loads of theoretical study. A simple example; an entrepreneur will learn about buying property by finding one and actually trying to buy it. They may not end up buying it, but as the opportunity (and risks) are real, they will really learn what needs to be done. Next time they’ll do it better.
‘Doing it better’ is closely linked with making the right decisions. This, in turn, is at least partly about getting the right information, knowing what you need to know and mastering those areas. Entrepreneurs learn what’s important by making decisions and acting on those decisions.
What made you decide to go into the property, recruitment and insurance businesses?
I began in recruitment. I simply had a temporary job in a recruitment agency, then realized how much of the fee I earned went to the agency and wanted that money myself! Then I got interested in property. I’d studied computing at university, and found a niche area of property that was only viable with computer skills. By complete coincidence, this opened up an opportunity to insure lots of properties, so I set up as an insurance broker. I saw opportunities, believed I could take them, and used the few skills I had to make money.
Why do you like to present your NLP coaching in a playful way?
I found school and university very boring. Now I find that audiences look either scared or bored at the prospect of ‘returning to the classroom’. By presenting in a way that is fun and engaging, I help people remain awake and focused; in my view they learn more this way. There is also another important feature: by learning to not to take things too seriously, people are able to face the big decisions (and face their personal demons) with more detachment and therefore more resourcefully and effectively.
What is next for you?
NLP targets both the professional and personal development markets simultaneously. I believe people need both, but not necessarily at the same time. I am going to present courses in both areas, so that people can choose, and make the changes that are right for them. I shall be launching How to Coach with NLP, TA & Mindfulness next year to provide techniques for people to use in their professional life: it’s not just about traditional coaching but a mindset, a way of influencing other people, which is the modern way of managing. I will also launch the Steinhouse Rescripting Process to provide deep personal change, for people who have come to a point in a life when they say “Enough! Time to fix this!” (See www.nlpschool.com for more details.)
Robbie Steinhouse’s Making Effective Decisions (published by Pearson Education in ebook) is out now. Robbie is the founder of nlpschool.com and author of Brilliant Decision Making, Think like an Entrepreneur and How to Coach with NLP. His new decision making app DecisioNow is also now available on iTunes.