1. Future Decisions/Choices
What would you do in a given situation?
Written by Barbara Mackessy

2. MSCM8-2: Students will develop management skills that lead to academic and career success.
Analyze the impact of stress and the importance of time and money management skills for academic, social, and career success.
Analyze how specific life role changes (e.g. personal, leisure, community, learner, family, and work roles) would affect the attainment of career goals.

3. Steps of Decision Making
1. Define the Problem/Want/Need
2. Gather Information about the problem, want or need
3. Evaluate all of the Information (pros & cons)
4. Select Best Choice for you
5. Take Action – Do it
6. Review Your Choice

4. How to make you own decision
What is the Situation
Think about it and the choices
Evaluate
Make a Pros and Cons List
Select a Solution
Review your choice afterwards

5. Another example for the steps to decision making
Define your want or need
Analyze your resources
Identify your choices
Compare your choice
Choose the best alternative
Make a plan to get started
Do the plan
Review the plan afterwards

6. Another example for the steps to decision making
Define problem
Look at choices
Compare choices
Select best choice
Carry out choice
Review choice and change as needed

7. Responsible Decision Making
Identify the Problem
Identify ways to deal with the problem
Think about the possible results of each action
Make a responsible decision
Evaluate that decision
Make changes if needed

8. Think about possible results
Is it unhealthy?
Is it safe to me and others?
Is it legal?
Does it show respect for self and others?
Does it follow parent’s guidelines?
Would my parents and teachers approve?

9. What are your life roles now?
Student
Eighth grader
Brother/sister
Daughter/son
Granddaughter/grandson
Cousin
Middle school student
What other ones do you have now?

10. What will your life roles be in the future?
Son/daughter
Grandson/daughter
Employee
Supervisor
Parent
Post secondary student
Graduate student
What others can you think of for the future you?

11. Types of Decisions
Automatic Decisions- automatic, routine, never think about it before deciding
Thought Decisions – think about it but don’t study or investigate it.
Study Decisions – think about it, study it, ask others before making decision.
Investigative Decisions – Think, study, ask questions, and research, read about it before making decision.

12. Investigate Decision Making to find out more about making the best decision possible for you. Additional References

13. Evaluation
Make a list of the topic items listed in this PowerPoint. Write the hardest decision or question that you can think of that you might have to make in the future for each one of them. You may use any of the ones from the slides of this PowerPoint or you may think of some on your own.
You will not have an answer to the questions now but need to know that people must make hard decisions daily.
Turn in your list of 20 questions and label it as “Hardest Decisions” for your assessment.

14. Future Influences on Family
Child care – day care options
Elderly care options
Social Security
Economic status
Amount of stress at work
Adjustments to surroundings
Amount of energy required
Relationships with family
Scheduling family activities
Time with family
Time with children
Time with spouse
Time with friends
Time for household tasks
Leisure time

15. Future Demands Work requires travel Physical Conditions at work
Work Layoffs
Psychological conditions at work
Work Schedule
Work Hours
Work Overtime
Work Requires Relocation

16. Child Care/Day care Do you need day care in the future?
Would you want a day care center on your work site?
Would it matter if the day care center was 25 miles from you worksite?
Would you pay more money to have the daycare close to your worksite?
Would you take a lesser paying job if they provided daycare?
Would you want to stay home with your children?
Would you be willing to move into a smaller house, spending less money to stay home with your children?

17. Elderly Care options
People are living longer than ever before, someone will have to take care of them.
You may be responsible for a relative in the future.
Who will look after them while you are at work?
Elderly care centers, Home health aids – what are these?
What would you do with an older relative?
What about Social Security?
U.S. average cost of nursing homes $181 per day for a private room (Alaska $420, Louisiana $96)

18. Social Security Will Social Security be around when I need it?
When can I retire with Social Security? 67?
What will I do in the 2040’s when Social Security no longer has any funds to mail the checks to the people over the age of 67?
Will decisions about Social Security today have an impact on me in the future?

19. Economic status Is money important to you?
Do you care what other people think of you?
Would you be willing to live in a smaller house to drive a new car every two years?
Would you be willing to live paycheck to paycheck to live in a swim/tennis community?
Would you put in long hours at work to earn a large paycheck? This means less time with the family.

20. Amount of stress at work
What is stress?
Do you have any stress?
Do you think there is any such thing as a stressful job?
What are some stressful jobs?
Meeting deadlines – newspaper, magazine
Surgery – patients life in your hands
Administrator – responsible for an entire building and people
Could you design or invent something that no one else has before?

21. Adjustments to surroundings
Would it matter in what neighborhood that you worked?
Would you ever be embarrassed to tell someone where you worked?
Would you work where you had no contact with people all day?
Would you work where you could never be by yourself?
Would you work in a very small space?
Would you work in a lower income section of town?
Is cleanness, attractiveness, and comfort important to you?

22. Amount of energy required
Would you work at a job that required a lot of physical activity?
Would you work at a job that required a lot of emotional energy?
Would you work at a job where you had to be aware all of the time?
Would you work at job that made you so tired that it cut down on your social life?
What if you were so exhausted when you got home from your job that you couldn’t do anything else?

23. Relationships with family
Would your family schedule affect your family relationship?
Does a family need quality time or quantity time?
Would you have a better relationship with your family if you spend more time together?
Would you have a better relationship with your family if you had a good paying job and could buy them everything they wanted?
Which would you choose and why?

24. Scheduling family activities
Does the family need time together as family time?
Does the family need to eat one meal together each day?
Does the family need a family outing per week?
How much time does the family need to spend together?
Does the family need to play games or visit places together as a family unit?

25. Time with family Does a family need time together? Family vacations?
Family dinners?
Family night?
How much time on an average day?

26. Time with spouse
How much time would you need with your spouse on an average day?
Would it matter to you if you worked different hours and never saw each other except on weekends?
Would you ever change you job to get the same hours as your spouse?
Would you take a lesser paying job to get the same hours as your spouse?
How much time on an average day would you need with your spouse?

27. Time with children
How much time do you need with your children on an average day?
Would it matter to you if you worked different hours and never saw your children except on weekends?
Would you take a lesser paying job to spend the afternoons with your children?
Do you think it matters how much time you spend with your children? Quality time or Quantity time?
Would your children be different if you could spend more time with them? Better?

28. Time with friends Do you have any friends now?
Do you think you will still have friends in the future?
Will you need time for your friends?
Will you need time to talk on the phone, visits, write, etc.?
How much time will you need on average day for your friends?

29. Time for household tasks
Do you need time for household task?
Do you need time to clean the house? Dust, sweep, mop, wash dishes, clean bathrooms, change sheets & beddings, or vacuum
Do you need time to mow the lawn?
Do you need time to wash the car or clean out the car?
Do you need time to do the laundry? Go to dry cleaners?
Do you need time to grocery shop? Get gas?
Do you need to check the mail? Answer the mail? Write out the bills?
Clean up after animals? Feed animals?
How much time would you need on an average day for all household tasks?

30. Leisure time Do you need time for yourself?
Do you need time to do what you want to do? Football, shopping, sports, hobbies?
How much time would you need on an average day just for you?
How would you feel if you never had a minute to yourself during the 24 hours of a day?

31. Work requires travel
Most businesses that require travel pay expenses – motel bill, food allowance, air ticket, gas mileage etc. Sound good?
Would you like to see a lot of other cities and countries at someone else’s expense?
When single – great – but you just got married and will be gone a week – bother you?
You just had a baby and will be gone – bother you?
Would you miss your child’s first day of kindergarten?
Would you miss your child’s high school graduation?
How much would you be willing to miss for a good paying job that you love?

32. Physical conditions at work
Would you work in a place without air conditioning?
Would you work in a place without heat?
Would you work in a place where you would get dirty every day – clothes and body?
Would you work in a place where you would have heavy lifting to do every day?
Would you wear a face shield, glasses, goggles?
Would you wear ear plugs?
Would you wear protective coverings –apron?
Would you wear steel toed shoes?
Would you wear a hair net?
Would you work in a job where you had to stand all day?
Would you work in a job where you had to sit all day?

33. Work layoffs
You have some bad luck, you just got laid off without notice.
What will you do?
Who will pay the bills?
How will your family survive?
Will you take a lesser paying job or will you wait to be called back to work?
How long would you wait before taking another job?

34. Psychological conditions at work
What if you dislike the job you have to perform?
What if you dislike the people you work with but love the job itself?
What if you dread going into work each day?
Would you continue to work there?
What could be some of your alternatives?
How would these alternatives make you feel?
Would or could your job affect your family relationships?
Your family depends on your pay check to pay part of the bills, all bills could not be paid each month without your paycheck. How do you feel?

35. Work schedule
Work schedules can vary 8-4, 9-5, 7-3, 3-11, 11-7, 4-12 etc.
Would it matter to you which schedule you worked?
3-11 and 11-7 usually are pay more per hour for working those shifts, would you work them?
You work a different shift and only see your family on the weekends, would it bother you?
What are your alternatives?

36. Work hours
Most people work 8 hours a day. Some are paid for lunch and some much work a 9 hour day but have an hour for lunch to make their 8 hour day.
Which one would you prefer?
Would you work 12 hours per day, 3 days one week and four days the next week?
Would you work 24 hours on 48 hours off?
Would you work a job where you are on call all the time?
What would this do to your family life?
Would you not take a job because of the hours that you would have to work?

37. Work overtime Overtime work pays time and a half.
Some companies ask for volunteers to work overtime – would you ever volunteer to work overtime?
Some companies tell you that you must work overtime – you have other plans – what would you do?
How would you feel if you had no choice about working overtime?
Sometimes you will know in advance that you will have to work overtime but if your company has a deadline to be met, it may be a last decision. You have to change your plans – would do you feel?
What if you have special occasion planned?
What if you had tickets to an event?
Would you keep your job?

38. Work requires relocation
You have been transferred. Would you move to another City? State? Country?
You are just out of college – ready to go?
You just got married – do you go?
Your child is a senior in high school – do you go?
What would you do?
Move or be fired?
What are some of the choices that you have?
Would you move away from your parents and friends for a good paying job?

39. What would be your decision?
Would you work a job where you developed no personal friendships?
Would you work a job where you were never by yourself?
Would you work a job where you were always by yourself?
Would you work a job where you had to compete for everything?
Would you work a job where you made no decisions?
Would you work a job where you had to make major decisions every day?
Would you work a job where you had no time freedom?
Would you work a job where you received no recognition for your accomplishments?
Would you work a job where you did the same thing every day?
Would you work a job where you had no excitement?
Would you work a job where you were under stress every day?
Would you work a job that you loved but it paid very little?
What conditions would keep you from looking at a particular job opportunity?

40. What do you think?
Would you work at a location where you had to pay for parking?
Would you work at a job that you had to commute 45 minutes each way?
Would you work at a job was out of town?
Would you work at a job where you had public contact daily?
Would you work at a job where you were required to help others?

41. You future – Where will you be?
Your future - Your choices are up to you!
Learn to make responsible decisions
1. Define the problem
2. Gather Information
3. Evaluate Information
4. Select Best Choice
5. Take Action
6. Review Choice

42. Evaluation
Make a list of the topic items listed in this PowerPoint. Write the hardest decision or question that you can think of that you might have to make in the future for each one of them. You may use any of the ones from this PowerPoint or you may think of some on your own.
You will not have an answer to the questions now but need to know that people must make hard decisions daily. Someone in America has had to make these decisions while you have been working on this assignment.
Turn in your list of 20 questions and label it as “Hardest Decisions”

43. Decision Making Do not make decisions that are not yours to make.
When making a decision you are simply choosing from among alternatives. You are not making a choice between right and wrong.
Avoid snap decisions. Move fast on the reversible ones and slowly on the non-reversible.
Choosing the right alternative at the wrong time is not any better than the wrong alternative at the right time, so make the decision while you still have time.
Do your decision making on paper. Make notes and keep your ideas visible so you can consider all the relevant information in making this decision.

44. Decisions
Remember that not making a decision is a decision not to take action.
To be effective a manager must have the luxury of having the right to be wrong.
Trust yourself to make a decision and then to be able to field the consequences appropriately.
Don't waste your time making decisions that do not have to be made.
Determine alternative courses of action before gathering data.
Before implementing what appears to be the best choice, assess the risk by asking "What can I think of that might go wrong with this alternative ?"
Many decisions you make are unimportant-about 80% of them. Establish operating limits and let your secretary or others make them for you.
Consider making the decision yourself in lieu of a group, but recognize the potential for less commitment by those affected.
As part of your decision making process, always consider how the decision is to be implemented.
As soon as you are aware that a decision will have to be made on a specific situation, review the facts at hand then set it aside. Let this incubate in your subconscious mind until it is time to finally make the decision.
Once the decision has been made, don't look back. Be aware of how it is currently affecting you and focus on your next move. Never regret a decision. It was the right thing to do at the time. Now focus on what is right at this time.
Mentally rehearse implementation of your choice and reflect in your imagination what outcomes will result.
Brainstorming alternative solutions with your staff or others will gain fresh ideas and commitment.
Discontinue prolonged deliberation about your decision. Make it and carry it through.
Once you have made the decision and have started what you are going to do, put the "what if's" aside and do it with commitment.

45. Decisions Be sure to choose based on what is right, not who is right.
Write down the pros and cons of a line of action. It clarifies your thinking and makes for a better decision.
Make decisions as you go along. Do not let them accumulate. A backlog of many little decisions could be harder to deal with than one big and complex decision.
Consider those affected by your decision. Whenever feasible, get them involved to increase their commitment.
Recognize that you cannot know with 100% certainty that your decision is correct because the actions to implement it are to take place in the future. So make it and don't worry about it.

46. Think about it!
You've probably been taught not to stereotype people based on race, religion or sex.
But when you make a career or business decision, do you still make decisions based on stereotypes?
Start making the correct decisions for you and your future.