The first time my young son got the puck in a game and purposely did not fire it off his stick immediately, I saw the power of “presence of mind” in action – it was a game changer.
For those who do not know, hockey it is a ‘ball’ sport where passing the puck between players to get into a scoring position is key. Sound a little like strategy? Well, there is strategy to it.
The “ah ha” here is that when we get an “extra” moment to make a better decision we should take it. The time it takes to assess options is almost always less than the time (and cost) it takes to fix a poor choice – and, the difference in the quality of the decision can define trajectory.
In fact, even when we don’t think we have that moment (competitive pressure is too high, internal political tension is too great), we should perhaps MAKE A MOMENT.
I like your analogy Gail. To carry it a bit further, good players have the skill and confidence to create that extra half-second it takes to make the right decision. They know where to receive the puck, where to keep the puck and what to do when pressured. I call it vision, planning and practice. The same holds true in business. If you want to make good decisions, don’t always be working in a panic mode.
Hope you are keeping well.
Regards
Rattan
Thanks for commenting, Rattan. Great to hear from you and great points. Gail