Decisions Decisions

1- Determine the problem

2- Generate alternatives

3-Evaluate

4-Select solution

5-Implementing solution

6-Following up

These six step are the steps we take to make decisions. 

Decision making playlist

1-As She's Walking Away: Zack Brown Band 

2- Are you Gonna Kiss Me or Not: Thompson square

3-Is There Life Out There: Reba McEntire

4- A Little Bit Stonger: Sara  Evens

Can't Learn to Swim Without Getting in the Water

You know how after you eat an Oreo cookie, your entire mouth is black. Then right as you smile the most attractive guy you have ever seen in you life walks by. Believe it or not but this has happened to me before. I think it's my calling in life to completely embarrass myself at all coasts.  I have learned to live with it. When something embarrassing happens to me, I laugh. That is my personality. 

So back to the cookie. We all take different steps when eating a cookie. Some just plop them right in their mouths, others eat the forsting first and then the cookie. The point is, no one is the same. I do strange things that are different form what you random strangers do. And that is alright. 

I have been on one sports team in my high school life. My coach has taught me so much and I will be forever indebted to him for that. When I was a freshman I felt like I didn't really belong anywhere. I was a drifter so to speak. Then, on a whim, I decided to join the swim team. I remember that first week of practice when all I wanted to do was give up and quit. It was too hard and I was too weak. Maybe I thought I was holding back the team if I continued to try. Or maybe that was the excusse I gave myself.   I realized that if I gave up I really would be letting down my team.  

One of Coaches rules was, Never Say I Can't. If we were to say this we had to do push ups and for a girl with no upper body strenght that is quite the punishment. I learned to never say those words and soon I descovered that if I did say them I was lying to myself. I can! Even when I fail, at least I tried and that means I CAN do anything. 

Take One for the Team

Okay so your probably wondering why on earth I have a clip of Braveheart in here. Well for starters it happens to be my favorite movie. I love this movie! Anyway not the point. The point is in this particular clip there is an immense amount of leadership and team building.
So with everything we do in life there are rules to help us along the way. The following is just the first five. (Can you believe there are ten?)
Rule #1- Put the Team First
With this rule we put the team interest first. I am sure we have all been in those situations where either ourselves or someone else on our team have only thought of us first. Do Not Do This!
Rule #2- Communicate Openly and Candidly.
Well I just took a chemistry test and let me tell you it is better to know more! Communication is so huge! Maybe if I had listened more or asked questions so I could better understand I would not have totally bombed it.
Rule #3- Be Part of the Solution Not the Problem
You can see them can't you? That one person who always seems to be around when problems start accruing. Problems are good in a way. They help teams build and learn, and as we learned from the previous rule, knowledge is power.
Rule #4- Respect Diversity
Everyone has some quirky thing about them. For me personally, I like soggy popcorn. Weird, I know but that is me. Over time I have learned that no one is the same. No one likes the same food or movies or clothes. This is everyone's super power. It is amazing to be different. While working on a team diversity helps us step outside the box.
Rule 5#- Ask and Encourage the Right Questions
By asking questions we give ourselves an opportunity. If questions were never asked we would never be able to move on. I have been in those classes where you are scared to death to raise your hand and ask because you think every one else already knows the answer. What if they think I'm stupid? You think as you try to build courage. Who cares what they think! I say in the background.




Take these first rules of team building and apply them to your lives. Once you get them down you will get the remaining rules. Good luck!