Figuring It All Out “Don’t just watch TV. DirecTV.” That is the slogan that DirecTV, my employer, uses on their advertising. What it means I am unsure, I am still trying to figure that out. In either case, nearly three years ago I went online to apply for DirecTV. When hired, within three months I knew I wanted to make DirecTV my career so I sought ways to be noticed, seen, and understood by management. I sought ways to make my team look good and within a year the company promoted me three times and I became a sought out supervisor. My ultimate goal was to become the Customer Care Site Director, a corporate position that helped analyze DirecTV’s customer service. However, to obtain my goal I had to work my way up the ladder. Naturally the next step from a supervisor is a Team Leader. When a position opened up I could not believe my luck. They were looking for people with sales experience – both outside sales and general sales. I had at least five years worth of experience. Month by month I did not receive the promotion. I was told I just did not have the experience. I felt like the company was holding me back after I proved my value time and time again. There became a position in Account Management seven months ago that everyone wanted. This position is a corporate position that allows the employee to be seen by the Chief Executive Officer and other management. At that point I became frustrated with advancing my career. I could no longer accept the explanation of, “Pearl, you just don’t have the experience.” I could sell ice to an Eskimo! I had the experience. I loved being a part of the customer care level. I loved being a part of touching the customer base. I am a people person by nature; I was a natural in talking angry customers from being ex-customers. I wanted to become site director but I soon realized the road I wanted to travel may not be the road to take. I had to figure out if the Account Management position was the road to take or to keep pressing on in the direction I was currently going. In situations like this I usually use my critical thinking skills to make a decision. According to dictionary.com critical thinking is “the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion” (dictionary.com). When I am assessing a situation I usually use the 5 Ws: who, what, when, why, how. I ask myself: o What are the different solutions? What are the pros and cons for those solutions? o What facts and assessments bring the strongest, most reasonable and honest outcome? And why? o Who will be affected in my decision? o When and how will my decision affect my life and those around me? o What are the consequences that I may face if making the wrong decision?
Once I have compiled all of these questions I take a step back and breathe, always trying to remember not to be partial with anything until all facts are made available. I go through each question with an open mind, patient in making a decision. I try to stay honest with myself and build a foundation around my decision. I try to figure it all out before coming to a decision. Choosing the road to take to get to my ultimate goal at DirecTV was no different. Phillips and Burrell said it best in Decision-making skills that encompass a critical thinking orientation for law enforcement professionals, “Critical thinking is about the psychological aspects of learning to apply experience-based…formal problem-solving methods to situations. It is essential to develop a keen ability to overcome and become self-aware of biases…that can hamper effective decision-making” (Phillips & Burrell, 143). Using my critical thinking skills was important to me because I wanted to make sure that whichever road I decided to travel I would be the right decision. If I chose the account management road I would be taken away the personality that made me so successful at the customer care level. In the end using my critical thinking skills allowed me to choose the decision that most benefited me and my family as I applied and was promoted to the Account Management position. Had I not spent the time to way out the options, analyze what was available to me, what the pros and cons were I probably would not be in the position of leadership as I am in now. My use of critical thinking helped me in figuring it all out. References
Critical Thinking (n.d) Dictionary.com Unabridged (v.1.1) Retrieved April 10, 2011, from http://www.dictionary.reference.com
Phillips, W. E., & Burrell, D. (2009). Decision-making skills that encompass a critical thinking orientation for law enforcement professionals. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 11(2), 141-149. doi:10.1350/ijps.2009.11.2.118