Decisions, decisions, decisions. Everyday we are faced with countless situations that require us to make a decision. The wild aspect of decision-making, that we need to wrap our minds around, is that many of the decisions we make are influenced by undetected external inputs that range from color schemes to how questions are worded. Erik Qualman’s mind blowing socialnomics 2017 video reports that 93% of our purchasing decisions are influenced by social media alone. Who would have thought that George Orwell’s 1984 notion of Big Brother would manifest in the form of a Facebook post. Just being aware that many of our decisions are often hijacked by our surroundings is precisely why the first part of our decision-making model forces us to review and rely upon our core values. Before making any decisions, we must always ask ourselves what we truly believe in and why. Writing down your own core values is a pivotal first step for a structured and more effective decision-making process. There’s no doubt that you have already considered your values as an exercise–in your head or even on paper. But reviewing them, articulating them often, and keeping them in written format anchors them for use. Prior to enumerating your values, though, we embrace the notion that everyone should have a personal vision statement. Below you’ll find our personal vision statements. The goal is to be very clear about your vision and values (V2) so that you can refer to them on a daily basis. The more you do so and the more readily you can retrieve them in written format, the more likely you are to make decisions that align to them. The greater the alignment, the greater your own personal harmony.  We share are our personal vision statements below:

T.J.: To construct meaning in a simple way and to share learning as a tool for serving the needs of others so that the resulting power of knowledge brings family, friends, followers, and fellow leaders together with a pure acceptance for one another and with lasting positive impact on the world.

Joe: To pursue life’s greatest gifts for myself and for those I love, lead, and follow by unearthing my own personal strengths, by finding joy in simple pleasures, and by loving without reservation.

Great leaders keep their vision and values on the WIRE: 

• Write out your personal vision statements. Share it with us online, be bold! 
  • Joe & T.J.
• Identify and write down 3 to 5 core values that support your vision.
  • Share your values with a person who you trust and ask for feedback.
• Reflect each day about the use of your vision and values for decision-making. 
  • Read them in the AM to start the day, use them for decisions throughout the day, and reflect before bed that you stayed true to them as a leader. 
• Evaluate your vision and values frequently. 
  • Put your vision statement and core values to the test each quarter by revising them to match your growth as a leader.

Stay tuned for more challenges, reflection questions, leadership models, podcasts, and more by following dereka206.sg-host.com. It’s our job to curate, synthesize, and communicate so that you can lead better and grow faster. In a world plagued by nothing but noise, we help you by getting to simple. TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple by maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster. Joe & T.J.