No Parachute

Question for you: If you were offered $1,000,000 to jump out of an airplane without a parachute, would you do it? Most of us would answer this question with a resounding “no”. After all, what’s $1,000,000 to us if we’re dead! And that might even be the right answer. But, as is usually the case, there’s more to it.

Fact is, you don’t have enough information to make an educated decision.

We often make decisions or draw conclusions without all the necessary details. Many of us are naturally wired to make quick decisions and that can sometimes come in very handy. But in the case above, that lack of patience – less questioning and more doing – might have cost us a bundle.

We cannot lead people correctly if we don’t know what matters to them. We cannot sell effectively if we don’t understand what our prospects want and why they want it. We cannot market if we don’t know our audience and their interests.

We need to be interested, ask questions, listen, learn and ask more questions. 

Let’s see if we could have made a better decision about that $1,000,000 proposal… Here are a few more questions that might have helped. What kind of plane are we jumping out of? Is it in the air when we jump? How fast is it going when we jump? Do I have full use of my arms and legs when I jump (just thought of that one!)?

If you are healthy, and the plane is a single engine Cessna, on the ground and sitting still, might that have changed your answer? Definitely!

When the answers are really important, be sure you know enough about the question before jumping to conclusions.  (Sorry.  Couldn’t help myself.)