I delivered a keynote on Thursday 16 March for the Information Technology Service Management Forum (itSMF) Australia Annual National Conference 2023.
Once again accompanied by my father Alan, I imparted learnings from my main TWICE SHOT topics of:
Resilience | Courageous Conversations | Leadership | Brave Decisions | PTSD and Mental Health
And the feedback was humbling…
“Daryl’s keynote at our annual national conference was impactful, insightful, and inspirational. The link between Daryl’s lived experiences to leadership, courage, resilience, and the power of human spirit coupled with his storytelling and presentation style had our delegates enthralled, engaged, and energised. If you are seeking a keynote or presentation that leaves you and your audience a little better off for having heard it, then Daryl is the person I would highly recommend.”
JANET HOLLING
Conference Director | itSMF Australia
Research and history show that whether the public or private sector, or the military sphere, staggering losses in blood and treasure continue to be accrued through decision paralysis – literally a fear of making a bad decision!
In a tumultuous police career spanning 30 years which included:
- Uniform and plain clothes policing investigating internet pedophiles
- The night of the shooting
- Returning to policing
- Two rounds of maxillofacial reconstruction surgery over 7 years
- Battling PTSD
- Incurring personal and professional opportunity costs from a Master’s Degree in Finance only to be crestfallen by the GFC
- Re-focusing on policing and career goals, being promoted three times and rising to the rank of Senior Sergeant
… I’ve had to make far more than my fair share of critical and life altering decisions. These could have crushed me or on the night of the shooting, led to the deaths of innocent people.
When we work hard, are persistent, and reflect on our failures and successes with the right mindset, we improve.
This has been my experience with decision making. I’ve realised and refined a simple but powerful process for making Brave Decisions – and it has stood the test of time!
- BREATHE AND CONCENTRATE ON STAYING SILENT
- Oxygen helps our brain function at its best, and focusing on staying silent helps clear our mind of useless clutter and outbursts. Rather than saying to ourselves ‘don’t panic’ or ‘stay calm’ – as often these words induce panic and anxiety, deep breaths are better at bringing calm.
- PRIORITISE AND EVALUATE OPTIONS
- This brings clarity, which is especially important in time critical situations. After prioritising, gather and consider all longer-term options, including courageous and radical possibilities.
- TAKE DECISIVE ACTION (THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF ALL)
- No decision at all – decision paralysis – is usually worse than a bad decision. Be brave and make bold decisions to implement priorities and give full force to your chosen option to drive them forward. With commitment and vigor on your part, you’ll get others onboard who’ll follow your confident lead.
FINAL REFLECTION: HOW WILL YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS DECISION IN YOUR TWILIGHT YEARS?
Kishwar Salam, a Senior Police Psychologist I once worked with said, “Your life endangering experience, the suffering and battles afterwards, have given you a life maturity and way of thinking far beyond your years.”
Here’s where my final piece of advice on the decision making model comes into play.
Throughout the process, think about how you will feel in your twilight years about the decision you make. Will you regret your timidity, or worse, your procrastination? Or will you sleep easy knowing you were bold and made a Brave Decision based on the best information you had to hand at the time?
When the chips are down and there’s no easy way to turn things around, you need to be equipped to make Brave Decisions.
Photograph courtesy of Jordan Graetz
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Daryl Elliott Green | Award Winning Speaker
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