Coach Me! Your Personal Board of Directors

48 Decision-Making – Cutting Through the Fog of Shoulds and Fears

Marcia Reynolds PsyD

Dr. Marcia Reynolds is a world-renowned expert on inspiring change through conversations. She has delivered programs and coached leaders in 43 countries and reached many more people online. She has authored four award-winning books, including The Discomfort Zone, Wander Woman, Outsmart Your Brain, and her latest international bestseller, Coach the Person, Not the Problem .

Anna had been offered a new position in another department that was higher paying and would give her greater visibility with the leadership team. She had been a successful team leader and agreed to take on a struggling team to prove she could turn them around. She was on the path to meeting her goal when the offer came in. She told me she was not ready to take the new job and asked how she could turn it down without closing doors on future promotions.

I asked for her permission to explore her decision before she determined how best to turn down the job offer. When she agreed, I asked, “Put yourself in both positions successfully a year from now. From that point of view, which one leaves you feeling more regret for not choosing the other?”

She told me about the good work she was doing with her team. They trusted her, their engagement was increasing, and the results were indicating that they were on their way to exceeding their quarterly goals. She was proud of her team, but then said, “The salary in the new position would ...