Today, I had a tough decision to make in front of other people.

While traveling for work to visit a client, there were a couple of people traveling with me to attend a rather large meeting. We were reviewing strategies early in the morning to figure out which recommendation we thought would be the best to present to the client. There were differing opinions and a lot of factors that went into deciding which outcome would be the best direction to go.  While both people who were with me are extremely talented, there was only one solution that could be presented based on the issue we were trying to solve. So, doing what everybody does, I listened to all sides, heard where each person was basing their position from and finally made a decision on what we were going to go talk to that client about.

It was like a pressure valve had just been released in my head because it gave me a clear understanding of what we should base our opinions and ideas on – after hearing the best sides of the argument. However, there was a transfer of all the pressure that I was carrying around that got passed to the person who did not have the winning idea. I could see it in their face the moment that I announced which way we were going. Their body language changed immediately, their attention turned off and the best part of it – they gave me the silent treatment. It was one of those moments where you wish that everyone would just grow up and act like an adult, but also a very humbling moment to realize the power that a person tasked with being a decision-maker holds.

Every idea is not a winner. Every situation you face is not a winner. Everyone you encounter is not a winner. But, as I reflect on this day and situation, I am reminded that you are not going to be able to make everyone happy all of the time. We don’t live in candy land, we live in a real world where people are forced to make choices. The choice is not always easy, and some are greater than others, but at the end of the day whether in work or in life I always make the choice I feel will better everyone around me.

As for the client, they loved the idea presented. They went for it with aggression and passion, so in the end, the decision appears at this point to be the right one.