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People are asking questions.

• Should I go back to school?
• What should I study?
• Would this job work for me?
• Is this a good idea for a business?
• How can I level up and increase my income?
• How can I find work that is fulfilling?

The answer may lie in asking the question behind the questions:

What are my values, strengths, and goals; and how can I use these to add value to others?

Enter the Decision Matrix.

If you have never done this, it is a great exercise for reaching clarity.

Assess Your Strengths

First, you’ll want to take a Maxwell DISC assessment. This will identify your strengths and weaknesses. Obviously, you don’t want to choose a path that requires you to spend your days in your weakest areas for more than 30% of the time. Just knowing and applying your strengths puts you miles ahead in any endeavor.

Create Your Decision Matrix

Next, create a table with four columns and 10 to 20 rows.

In the first column, list your values, strengths, goals, best work environment, and boundaries. Several of these will come from your strengths assessment. These, together, represent who you are and what is important to you.

They will differ for each person, but some examples may include the following:

• Trust
• Freedom
• Family Focus
• Achievement (Growth Opportunities)
• A _____ Working Environment (Ex: Results-Focused, Fun/Creative, Team-Oriented, or Quiet)
• Opportunity to Lead
• Ability to Help People
• Variety in the Work
• Strong Team Culture
• Focus on Analytics
• Skills Fit
• Client Fit
• Work Schedule (Ex: 9 am to 5 pm, no weekends, flexible, weekend only, etc.)
• Communication Methods and Expectations
• Distance to Work
• Salary Range (Good, Better, Best)
• Financial Goals (Ex: Retirement Plan, Benefits)

Once you have mapped the first column based on your tailored parameters, label the heading of each of the other three columns with a green, yellow, and red dot, respectively.

Review Your Matrix

Then, with an opportunity in mind, review your matrix line by line.

For example, does the company you are considering or the business you are looking to create have a culture of trust from the leadership to the consumer? If so, put a green dot in the green column. If there is clearly a trust issue, then put a red dot in the red column. If you think so, but are not sure, put a yellow dot in the yellow column.

Or, if family focus is a core value, does this opportunity support this value? Again, mark green, yellow, or red.

Go through each line and mark either a green, yellow, or red dot.

Evaluate Your Results

Red is a warning light.

Pay very close attention to the reds. If something is red going in, it usually does not get better with time. More often than not, those who ignore the red go on to regret it.

Green is good.

If your initial and instinctual response is green, this usually ends up being a good opportunity, at least for those facets which are green.

Yellow is cautionary.

Yellow means proceed with caution. This may mean asking questions before taking a new position or adjusting a schedule, so it fits your values. It may mean you need to grow into something. If your skills and strengths are both yellow for an opportunity, consider seriously whether this is a good fit.

Now, here’s the thing. It is rare to have an opportunity where every single facet is green. What you will see is a mix.

Count how many you have of each color (green, yellow, and red) and put that number at the bottom of each column.

• If you are evaluating several opportunities, you can begin to rank your best-fit options in this way.
• Pay close attention to the reds. For some people, the simple rule of “one red and it’s dead” is the right decision. Ignoring a red area can bring undue stress, underperformance, and burnout.
• If you see a mix of mostly green and some yellow, this usually means it is an opportunity worth considering. Ask yourself what it might take to turn the yellows to greens. For example, if the salary is yellow, can you negotiate a higher pay rate or a results-based bonus plan? Or if schedule is yellow, is there flexibility for change, or can you adapt your personal schedule to fit? If the yellow falls on your skills line, what can you do to grow it to green? If the yellow is in the area of your strengths, evaluate how much time you would need to spend doing work that may not be your strongest suit and how you could offer more value by working more in your strengths zone.
• If an opportunity scores mostly yellow, this is a clear indicator that it may not be a good fit. In fact, you usually will have a sense of hesitation to pursue it. That sense is there for a reason; don’t dismiss it. Here is why: you could be settling for something good that is just not the best fit for you. You can do this for a time if your situation requires the income but then be looking for work that is a better fit.

Clarity comes when an opportunity meets the matrix. Here’s to greater opportunities ahead for you!

For valuable resources on Leadership Strengths and Tools, click here.

Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after executive coach, mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide. Deb is well versed in business operations and in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high performance team building and effective communication. She has a passion for leading people to discover and maximize their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve high performance. Deb is the perfect fit if you’re ready to take your leadership and impact to the next level!