What are the five characteristics of exceptional decision-makers? This thought-provoking episode delves into the five crucial traits that pave the way for effective decision-making. In my years of coaching high-achieving executives, I have found that they all employ five key characteristics that make decision-making and leadership easier: humility, empathy, risk tolerance, patience, and self-assurance. How can you develop these traits? Tune in to discover how to train your brain to develop these essential skills. KEY TAKEAWAYS Join me as I explore the power of humility, where having a modest view of one's importance opens doors to insightful choices. Keeping our ego in check allows for creative and innovative thinking and fosters collaboration. Discover how empathy plays a transformative role in decision-making, enabling us to uncover diverse perspectives, gain a more comprehensive understanding of the situation, and make informed judgments. We also examine the significance of being risk tolerant, equipped with the right resources to navigate uncertain outcomes. Embracing ambiguity and accepting that not everything can be known or controlled allows for growth, innovation, and the ability to adapt to unexpected outcomes. Uncover the virtue of patience and how it strengthens our ability to overcome setbacks and adversity. Having the capacity to tolerate delays, problems, and uncertainty without becoming annoyed or anxious is vital. Patience allows for thoughtful and thorough decision-making, recognizing that not everything will happen according to a rigid timeline. Lastly, explore the importance of self-assurance, as confidence in our abilities becomes the cornerstone for making bold yet calculated decisions. Self-assurance minimizes insecurities, enables resilience, and encourages perseverance in facing challenges or setbacks. These five traits, when combined, contribute to becoming an exceptional decision-maker by promoting open-mindedness, minimizing blind spots, managing perfectionism, embracing risk, and maintaining confidence in the decision-making process. FREE WORKSHEET The free worksheet for this episode provides insight into what you should and should not be doing to exude these traits. Get it now at my website: https://starlawest.com/2023/07/cracking-the-code-the-five-characteristics-of-exceptional-decision-makers/ BONUS ITEM Get it now at my website: https://starlawest.com/2023/07/cracking-the-code-the-five-characteristics-of-exceptional-decision-makers/ EPISODE LINKS Holiday World & Splashin' Safari: https://www.holidayworld.com/ Three Types of Empathy You Should Know About: https://starlawest.com/2020/01/three-types-of-empathy-you-should-know-about/ Starla's Website and Newsletter Sign-Up: https://www.starlawest.com/podcast Starla's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/StarlaWest Podcast Sponsor, Business Furniture: https://businessfurniture.net/ LEAVE A REPLY What was your favorite lesson from this episode? Please let me know, and after you apply what you learned, make sure you share your breakthrough moments and successes with me. Join the conversation now: https://starlawest.com/2023/07/cracking-the-code-the-five-characteristics-of-exceptional-decision-makers/ SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR TITLE SPONSOR I want to thank our title sponsor, Business Furniture, an organization celebrating its 100th anniversary and revolutionizing the way we work since 1922. With hybrid work becoming mainstream, Business Furniture offers solutions that balance the flexibility employees crave with the need for fostering collaboration and innovation. Check them out at businessfurniture.net.

Decisions are one of any leader's most important responsibilities. Yet, not enough time is dedicated to helping leaders develop a systematic process for doing so so that when they make decisions, they can make them quickly and efficiently while getting the desired outcomes. What has led me to this conclusion is the observation of leaders consistently making the same mistakes that either make the decision-making process more difficult than it needs to be or lead to results that are less than desirable.  In this episode of Help Me Think, I share these mistakes with you so you can avoid the pitfalls that lead to poor decision-making. Awareness of these pitfalls will help you make more informed and effective decisions. Get the key takeaways for this episode and a free worksheet now at my website: https://starlawest.com/2023/06/the-seven-most-common-mistakes-leaders-make-when-making-decisions/ Please tune in now to reflect on these potential pitfalls and learn how to mitigate them. EPISODE LINKS: Starla's Website and Newsletter Sign-Up: www.starlawest.com/podcast Starla's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/StarlaWest Podcast Sponsor, Business Furniture: https://businessfurniture.net/ SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR TITLE SPONSOR I want to thank our title sponsor, Business Furniture, an organization celebrating its 100th anniversary and revolutionizing the way we work since 1922. With hybrid work becoming mainstream, Business Furniture offers solutions that balance the flexibility employees crave with the need for fostering collaboration and innovation. Check them out at businessfurniture.net. SUBSCRIBE NOW SO YOU NEVER MISS A THING Subscribe to "Help Me Think" on your favorite podcast app, listen online at www.starlawest.com, or on my YouTube channel. Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter and leave your comments and suggestions. You're invited to be an active part of the journey. Get ready to transform your life and career with the power of critical thinking. SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PODCAST COACH I want to thank Chris Spangle of podcastingandplatforms.com. Without his help, I would have never gotten this podcast up and running. Thank you, Chris!

In this episode of "Help Me Think," I emphasize why top-performing executives must protect their optimal thinking times in their schedules, including when and how they do it. This episode aims to help you identify your ideal mental state for productive thinking and provide insights into when and how to cultivate this state more frequently. I guide you to identify your best mental states for deep thinking, then share strategies to incorporate those into your routines for maximum productivity and efficiency.    KEY TAKEAWAYS Together, we embark on a reflective exercise where you recall your best ideas or problem-solving moments from the past three to six months, considering where you were and what you were doing. Then, I introduce you to a powerful tool called the Mood Meter to reveal your mental state during these moments.   Contrary to popular belief, feeling good and having high energy isn't always ideal for deep thinking. Sometimes, the best thinking occurs when the energy level is more relaxed. I highlight our theta state, a mid-length brain wave pattern associated with daydreaming right before drifting to sleep or waking up. This relaxed mind state has unique access to the subconscious, facilitating creativity and insight.   Then, to delve even deeper into your ideal mental states for visionary, strategic, creative, and critical thinking, I relate all of this to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow Theory and introduce you to the Four Flow Profiles from the Flow Genome Project.   Flow Theory correlates varying emotional conditions with productivity and emphasizes a state of intense focus that enhances productivity, often associated with peak performance and being 'in the zone.' We discuss this concept of flow state and explain how different states of mind impact our thinking process, creativity, and problem-solving capabilities. The Flow Genome Project's assessment helps you identify and understand your peak performance state when you feel and perform your best. (Personally, as a Deep Thinker flow profile, my best ideas emerge during periods of deep, uninterrupted thought.) This analysis of emotional state and flow profiles is helpful for understanding your distinct flow state and how to use it to enhance productivity, leading to more visionary, strategic, creative, and critical thinking   Please tune in now to reflect on your best thinking times and mental states and then consciously create more of these moments, protecting them in your calendars.    EPISODE LINKS Download the Free Worksheet for this Episode: https://starlawest.com/2023/06/the-secret-sauce-of-top-executives-exploring-the-power-of-optimal-thinking-times/ Starla's Website and Newsletter Sign-Up: www.starlawest.com/podcast Starla's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/StarlaWest  Podcast Sponsor, Business Furniture: https://businessfurniture.net/ The Mood Meter App: https://moodmeterapp.com/ 8 Traits of Flow According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: https://positivepsychology.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/ Flow Genome Project - Take the Flow Profile: https://www.flowgenomeproject.com/flow-profile   Special Thanks To Our Title Sponsor I want to thank our title sponsor, Business Furniture, an organization celebrating its 100th anniversary and revolutionizing the way we work since 1922. With hybrid work becoming mainstream, Business Furniture offers solutions that balance the flexibility employees crave with the need for fostering collaboration and innovation. Check them out at businessfurniture.net.

In this episode, I dive deep into the intricacies of executive-level and critical thinking and how it influences daily decision-making, organizational alignment, and individual growth. I begin with a powerful question, "Do you feel guilty allocating time for reflective thinking with a demanding schedule?" and illustrate this through a real-life example and explore how aspiring leaders – like executives – can leverage this principle to think, behave, and inspire confidence. Next, I introduce the concept of Executive Level Thinking and its significance for success in executive roles. This type of thinking requires a holistic viewpoint that considers the organization, industry, and competition from both short-term and long-term perspectives. Executive-level thinking breaks down into three components: visionary & strategic, vertical, and horizontal. Each plays a crucial role in creating a comprehensive understanding of the business picture and driving well-informed decisions. Secondly, I introduce critical thinking, a cornerstone of executive decision-making that involves diagnosing problems or opportunities thoroughly, considering all perspectives, and differentiating between facts, assumptions, and speculations. Episode Page https://starlawest.com/2023/06/the-one-activity-that-will-help-you-thrive-in-your-role/ Key Takeaways As part of the key takeaways, I emphasize the importance of taking time to think, understanding when and where you experience your best thinking moments, and the impact of your thinking time on you, your work, your team, and the organization. Links Download the Free Worksheet for this episode: https://starlawest.com/2023/06/the-one-activity-that-will-help-you-thrive-in-your-role/ What was your favorite lesson from this episode? Share your feedback and leave a reply: https://starlawest.com/2023/06/the-one-activity-that-will-help-you-thrive-in-your-role/ Starla's website and newsletter sign-up: www.starlawest.com/podcast Starla's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/StarlaWest Podcast Sponsor, Business Furniture: https://businessfurniture.net/ Special Thanks To Our Title Sponsor I want to thank our title sponsor, Business Furniture, an organization celebrating its 100th anniversary and revolutionizing the way we work since 1922. With hybrid work becoming mainstream, Business Furniture offers solutions that balance the flexibility employees crave with the need for fostering collaboration and innovation. Check them out at businessfurniture.net. Subscribe Now So You Never Miss A Thing! Subscribe to "Help Me Think" on your favorite podcast app, listen online at www.starlawest.com, or on my YouTube channel. Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter and leave your comments and suggestions. You're invited to be an active part of the journey. Get ready to transform your life and career with the power of critical thinking.

In this inaugural episode of the "Help Me Think" podcast, Starla West, an accomplished executive coach, introduces her brand new series aimed at empowering ambitious professionals with the mental models and best practices leveraged by successful executives. By breaking down complex thought processes into actionable steps, Starla aims to transform how listeners approach life and work. Takeaways: Starla provides an overview of the podcast's objective, highlighting the podcast's focus on critical thinking, decision-making, managing oneself, navigating relationships, leading effectively, and addressing daily challenges while seizing opportunities. The podcast promises to dive deep into these subjects, aiding listeners in optimizing their current situations while strategizing for the future. Each episode will contain detailed show notes, links to all discussed tools and resources, and a free downloadable worksheet to apply what you learn. Depending on the topic, episode lengths will vary. Some episodes will feature Starla solo, while others will include expert guest appearances. We want you to participate! From topic suggestions and questions to feedback via the comment section at starlawest.com/podcast, we want you to be engaged. Share your breakthroughs and successes. Special thanks to our title sponsor Business Furniture and their unique skill in creating spaces that foster great thinking. Links: Video: https://youtu.be/9qdB59iA1HY Starla's website and newsletter sign-up: www.starlawest.com/podcast Starla's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/StarlaWest Business Furniture: https://businessfurniture.net/ Starla's Podcast Coach, Chris Spangle: https://www.podcastingandplatforms.com Subscribe Now: Subscribe to "Help Me Think" on your favorite podcast app, listen online at Starla's website, or on her YouTube channel. Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter and leave your comments and suggestions. You're invited to be an active part of the journey. Get ready to transform your life and career with the power of critical thinking.