Are you in complete control of your destiny? Or in control of it as much as you possibly can be? By asking these I am not trying to cause panic or confusion! Rather I am engaging a conversation about choices we make on a day-to-day basis.

The catalyst for this thought topic was issues I have recently encountered with various vendors, both in my business and personal life. In some cases they failed to deliver products or services they were obligated to. Other times it was their mere responses or actions that caused me concern they may fail or flounder in delivery. As a result, not only did I get an uneasy feeling, but I then needed to devote time to thinking through the scenario and defining a strategy to react to it.

On the positive side, we sometimes make decisions knowing they are in the best interest in the short term, and eventually may make moves that are best in the long term. One example is outsourcing. If we do not have the capital or human bandwidth to take on something ourselves, we may outsource all or part of the task to a person or company. This can allow us to take on, say, a new client and offer the services now that we eventually will take on ourselves and continue in the offering.

Good or bad, we need to have an understanding of these situations, which can be considered our destiny. Rather than dropping everything I have planned to do so I am tackling this issue methodically. In evaluating contracts and relationships, I am looking at what I have, what alternatives there are, and how I would be able to make a switch. Taking it a level further, I am looking at the cost of making the switch, and at what point it makes sense to do so. Some of these changes are straightforward and others are rather complex, however it is a necessity to plan for these in advance. Going forward, I will keep this in mind as I make business and personal decisions.

Like any choice we make, sometimes we make it despite potential risks involved, especially if our choice is to do something or not do it at all. As I think about these or face such decisions, look for my reactions here at The Hot Iron.

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