Decisions matter. A presentation created by Montiqua Pettway, MSHRM, teaches students about the scale of their decisions in every day life, in the classroom and as future business leaders. “Our choices curate our life and tell our story.”  Nearly every decision you make effects another person. Here are 10 key take aways students thought were necessary tools for business from the presentation:

1.  Emotional Maturity
2. Analysis Paralysis
   • When you have the fear of making the wrong decisions so you just freeze up and make no decision.
3.  Decision making is a domino effect.
4. EVERY executive struggles with gaining and keeping the trust of stakeholders
5. Don’t make decisions based on association
   • The former CEO of J.C. Penny’s, Ron Johnson, had a big name [working with companies like Apple and Target] but he failed to bring leadership to the corporation because of poor decisions he made in his short one as CEO.
6. Prioritize people over profits
   • James Burke from Tylenol made the decision to pull over 93,000 bottles of the shelf for the health and wellbeing of the customer. This act eventually lead to him receiving a presidential Medal of Honor.
7. Think before you speak 
   • Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries did not think before saying racist statements and it quickly led to the downfall of A&F
8. Have a judgement mindset not judgmental mindset
   • use your judgement to know right from wrong but don’t be judgmental to others on the process
9. The HOG method - Head, Others, Gut
   • Head- use data and experience to analyze your options.
   • Others- seek the expertise of others to expand your points of view and drive out confirmation bias. Find someone who will be your cheerleader and someone who will tell you the blatant truth.
   • Gut- Know your right from wrong. Know your inner moral code.  
10. People will often have a moral code until it effects them.