Are you doing the right things? I’ve noticed a fundamental difference between high level leaders and the rest of us when determining what actions to take. They start with one question: will this work? If the answer is “yes”, they figure out how to make it happen. If the answer is “no”, the move on. It’s simple.

Unfortunately for the rest of us there are five questions that tend to overshadow this simple decision. Work to eliminate these from your decision-making process and watch your success increase

• What will others think? As they say, what’s popular is not always right and what’s right is not always popular. The best leaders don’t limit themselves by what others think. They find ways to bring those people along on the journey.
• Will this get my boss’s attention? I actually once had someone reject a simple solution to a complex problem because he wanted something bigger to manage. If you want to get your boss’s attention, make his or her problems go away.
• What if it doesn’t work? Obviously you need to consider the risks with any solution. However, too many people are afraid to move forward because they might fail. They don’t want to look bad. Anyone can take on easy problems. The leaders you know and respect are the ones who took on the hard ones.
• Can I do it? If you limit yourself to only doing things for which you are already an expert, you won’t change much. If the idea is good, find people who can help you bring it to reality.
• Will I get credit? We all want to be recognized for our achievements. It’s true that in the short term people who get credit get rewarded. However, in the long run most organizations are smart enough to figure out who tends to always be around when good things happen. Do the right things and success will find you.

Keep it simple. If an idea will solve your problem, go for it!

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Brad Kolar is an executive consultant, speaker, and thinking coach with Avail Advisors.  Brad can be reached at brad.kolar@availadvisors.com