The Kellan Group

Project Management Consulting | Keynote Speaker | Training

  • Home
  • About
    • The Kellan Group
    • Meet Sandra Hoskins
  • Working With Kellan
    • Keynote
    • Training & Workshops
    • Project Management Consulting
  • Sandra’s Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact

Decisions: The Currency of Guilt

01.13.2013 by Sandra Hoskins //

I was talking with a colleague and friend the other day and the topic of making decisions came up.

During the conversation, the light went on.  We hold on to our decisions forever.  They are placed in a trunk that we open and troll through on a regular basis.  We even shake off the dust so we can see the decision more clearly.  We never focus on the outcome.  We focus on the decision.  For some unknown reason, we ruminate on the situation, the people, the outcome, or the feeling that it was the wrong decision and we could have made a better one.

We feel guilty for our decisions whether they were good decisions, bad decisions, or no decision.  We even feel guilty for decisions that other people make.  How many times have we said “I am so sorry that (fill in the blank).”?  How many times have we apologized for decisions that we made after we made them?  Better yet, how many times have you apologized for something that someone else did?  It is a great way to allow them to abdicate their accountability.

We have turned guilt in to a true art form.  We have forgotten that we can’t un-ring the bell.  We don’t have the time travel capabilities aka Dr. Who and the Travelling Telephone booth.  All we can do is hope that we learned to let the decision go and the lesson come.

Give yourself and your team permission to make the best decisions they can.  Let them make decisions you disagree with or that you would do differently.  Let them learn.  Then, let it all go.  They’ll get better at making decisions.  Not your decisions, their decisions.

I am going to quote a very famous person, my mother.  I have no idea where she found the quote or if it is hers originally.  She always said

 “Every decision, I ever made was a good decision.

The day that I made it based on

the knowledge and experience that I had at the time.”

 To quote one of my team members, “it is what it is.”

 Can you think of a decision that you should let go?    Are you feeling guilty?  If the answer is yes, can you fix it?  If yes, fix it.   If the answer is no, let it go.  You can’t move forward if you have one foot firmly anchored in the past.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Related

Categories // Sandra's Blog Tags // Circle of Life, Customer Expectations, DIRTFT, expectation management, lessons learned, thinking out of the box

More posts from Sandra's Blog

  • Another Left Too Soon .. Why We Must Remember

    November 11, 2022
  • Channeling Top Gear: A Review of The Mitsubishi RVR – AWD

    May 2, 2022
  • The Warrior’s Battle Cry – Ground Rule 8: Know Your World

    March 25, 2022
  • The Warrior’s Battle Cry – Ground Rule 14 Listen, Learn, Speak Out, Be Accountable, and Show Up

    March 25, 2022
  • The Warrior’s Battle Cry – Ground Rule 13:  Savour Your Victories / Live Like There Is No Tomorrow

    March 25, 2022
  • The Warrior’s Battle Cry – Ground Rule 12: Get Back Up / Find Your Spine / Screw It Just Do It

    March 25, 2022
  • The Warrior’s Battle Cry – Ground Rule 11: Use Your Energy Wisely / Pick Your Battles / Own Your Life

    March 25, 2022
  • The Warrior’s Battle Cry – Ground Rule 10: Follow Through / Follow Up / Just Get It Done

    March 25, 2022
  • The Warrior’s Battle Cry – Ground Rule 9: Strengthen Your Shield

    March 25, 2022
  • The Warrior’s Battle Cry – Ground Rule 7: Sharpen Your Sword

    March 25, 2022

Project Management Institute, Inc. ®

As a Charter Registered Education Provider (R.E.P. ®), The Kellan Group Inc. continues to maintain compliance with PMI®-established quality assurance criteria. PMP®, PMBOK® Guide, CAPM®, PgMP®, PMI®, PMI-SP®, PMI-RMP®, PMI-PBA®, PMI-ACP®, and REP® are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

The Kellan Group

We make a difference in the lives of others by empowering them to create a thriving environment so that they can change the world, one person at a time.

Contact and Connect

The Kellan Group
Box 2789, Stn. Main
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 4B4

Phone: 204-253-1896
Email: mentors@thekellangroup.com

Read More
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 · The Kellan Group · Winnipeg Website Development by A Crazy Chameleon
Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2023 · The Kellan Group on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

MENU
  • Home
  • About
  • Working With Kellan
    • Project Management Consulting
    • Keynote
  • Sandra’s Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact