[VIDEO+ACTIVITY] Duncan Nugget® #211: The Deciding Factor

Exxon Mobile Corporation conducted a study that shows that price isn’t always the main deciding factor for choosing a gas station. It’s other things like cleanliness, brightness, and safety.

That’s interesting because it shows that…

When someone makes a decision about you and what you have to offer, many times the deciding factor isn’t what you think it is.

I’ve seen plenty of people get tripped up over this. If you are a parent, educator, or mentor whether or not someone heeds your advice is seldom based on common sense. The deciding factors are things like trust, respect, and authenticity.

When you’re in an interview, seldom are your GPA and technical knowledge the deciding factors. It’s often a matter of soft skills like leadership, communication, teamwork, and decision making.

Million-Dollar Question:
When making a choice about you
and what you have to offer,
what will be the deciding factor?

_______________________
ACTIVITY AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Quick Activity:
1. Partner up with someone.

2. Give him or her a choice between owning a restaurant, a 24hr. fitness center, or a different business.

3. After, your partner chooses, write down why you think your partner chose the way he or she did. Discuss your answers with your partner. Ask him or her “What made you choose the _________?”

4. How many deciding factors did you get right? (Discuss with your partner.)

5. How can you get better at finding deciding factors? (Discuss with your partner.)

6. Switch roles with your partner and do the activity again.

Discussion Questions:

1. At times it can be difficult to figure out the deciding factors. Why is it so challenging? What will you do to overcome the challenge?

2. What are some of the main reasons that employers choose to hire someone? How do you know these are the deciding factors? Verify your answers.

3. What are the deciding factors that a college or graduate program uses to determine whether you get accepted or rejected? How do you know these are the deciding factors? Verify your answers.

4. What are your top skills and characteristics that would cause a college or employer to choose you? What can you do to get even stronger in those areas?