How do you make that decision to accept your next position?

Do you go by with what your heart feels?  Well, there is some importance to listening to your “heart,” “intuition” or “gut” when making decisions like this, there is also an important thing you can do, and that is due diligence.

You want to be able to assess where an organization is at in each of these key category areas:

• Customers: First line, customer chain, end users, influencers
• Collaborators: Suppliers, allies, government/community leaders
• Capabilities: Strategic, organizational, operational, financial, technical, key assets
• Competitors: Direct, indirect, potential
• Conditions: Socio-demographic, political/government/regulatory, economic, market

And, do a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis of each key category areas.

For instance,  how satisfied are the constituents who attend the organization’s programming?  What do the families have to say?  Does the organization have strong collaborative partners?  Do they work with the organization to meet constituents needs?  Do government leaders support the organization’s efforts?  Does the organization have good relationships with its vendors?  Who are the organization’s main competitors?  How do they differ or not?  How ahead or behind of the organization are they?  What is the organization’s competitive advantage in the marketplace?  What is going on economically in the general community and on Wall Street?  Are those conditions favorable or not?  What internal capabilities does the organization have regarding human resources?  Are there certain weak links in staffing?  What is the overall culture of the organization?

What is the overall culture of the organization?  What about recent business performance?  What have been some recent trends?  What are some positive and negative drivers within the organization?

Are you clear on how your strengths can enhance or detract from the organization?  How do your cultural preferences compare with the organizations set culture?  Is the job right for you regarding your strengths, motivations, and fit?  And, do you understand the risks and can manage those risks?

You must sit down and evaluate each and every component before saying “yes” to the proposal.  Don’t just idly say yes.  Be strategic about your decision, but let it have some heart too!