Myat Nyein - To make the best decisions

“Are you going to spend the rest of your life selling sugar and water to children? Or do you want to do something that changes the world?”

These are the words spoken by Apple CEO Steven Jobs when he was trying to convince John Sculley, who was an executive at a soft drink company, to come and work at Apple Computer.

Little did Jobs know at the time that Sculley would dramatically change not only the future of Apple, but also Jobs' personal life.

In short, Sculley accepted Apple's invitation. He led operations and production for more than two years. Then, with a systematic plan, he even fired Jobs from Apple. Then, adopting a new, clear and pragmatic management style, he brought Apple back to the forefront of computer sales.

Sculley's first decision was a major blow to the computer world. He was forty-four years old at the time. He was already an executive at a soft drink company. He had been leading the company to profitability for more than five years. Sculley believed that in this technological age, a person should change jobs three or four times. So when he was offered a job at Apple, he decided to take the risk. Initially, he kept a low profile and stayed behind the scenes. But less than a year after taking the helm of Apple, he was at the forefront.

The entire board of directors was gathered in the movie theater. This included the advertising executives, Apple's marketing director, Sculley, and Jobs. Soon they were all watching an Apple commercial.

The ad shows a woman running with a giant hammer. She raises the hammer above her head and smashes the Apple "Big Brother" computer, which takes up almost the entire screen. In place of the "Big Brother," an image of the latest "Macintosh" computer appears.

The television was turned off. Scully and Jobs looked around at the faces of the board of directors.

"They're all shocked. They can't believe we want to do this. But they don't push us."

"That's your decision. But we think it's a terrible decision."

"They say," Scully recalled.

“I sat down with Steve (Jobs) and Mike Murray, the marketing director, and asked them.

"How about we do it?"

How do you make that decision? Are there any charts, graphs, or market data that can help you make that decision?

No.

In Scalia's words, they based their decision on intuition.

“I tend to use the right side of my brain for decision-making,” Scully says. (It is said that the left side of the brain processes logical thinking based on facts and figures, while the right side of the brain processes emotional, intuitive thinking. Myanmar translator)

“It’s a very intuitive feeling. It’s like a sailor who can sense the wind and know when a storm is coming. I’m good at sensing the wind. I know when to change course or when to make a big investment.”

IBM was launching its "PC Junior" computer, and Apple was struggling, when Sculley, as mentioned above, took a breath of fresh air. He had an epiphany. He decided to invest a lot of money and produce the "Macintosh."

His decision was right. The Macintosh was so successful that it overturned the predictions and calculations of the computer gurus. Apple's sales doubled.

Scully is confident in himself. He is confident in his intuitive process. He has the ability to see the big picture of the long-term business and focus on the short-term. These qualities give him a head start over the business development professionals.

This is not to say that analysis should be abandoned. In today’s market, accurate information is essential. The process is like cooking a delicious cup of soup, says Scully. You know what to put in the soup. You taste it. You smell it. But your experience tells you that you need to add more. Like a good chef, you listen to your experience. Because you know when your soup is at its peak.

Decision-making expert Lee Iacocca would also support Sculley's idea. Iacocca points out that making decisions based entirely on data is dangerous.

“You never get all the information. If you wait until you get all the information, the information you get is outdated. Because the market moves... Sometimes you have to take risks with your beliefs... because if you make a decision too late, even the right decision can turn out to be wrong.”

Good information is like good wine. News doesn't get better the older it gets.

If quick and precise action is the key, how does a decision-maker like Scully avoid the problems that we face every day? Isn't it a waste of time to extinguish the flames of immediate problems?

The answer is planning.

A wise man once said, “Plans are nothing. But planning is everything.” Having a plan is extremely important. Just as important as planning is the execution of those plans is the constant monitoring of them. Unless you have a rigid plan that doesn’t allow for changes or compromises, a plan will guide you to your long-term goals. At the same time, it will guide you to make decisions about your short-term goals.

Scully calls setting goals and planning his “organizational skills.”

“The most important thing for me is to have a clear basic blueprint for the structure. What is the destination you want to reach? What methods will you use to pave the way to get there?

"So when we set a strategy, we have to look at what our mission is as a company. And we have to look at how we can successfully execute our mission in an environment where we can't predict how consumers will change, where we can't predict what our competitors will do, where we're constantly changing rapidly. The saying that history is nothing but a lesson to be learned is even more true for our (computer) industry."

That's why Sculley's friend and high-tech marketing consultant Regis McKenna

“A decision is a process. In this high-tech world, people succeed by constantly adjusting and compromising their environment. It’s a process of constant adjustment and change. You can’t make absolutely correct decisions. Because there are no absolutes. There are only relative positions.”

It may have been said.

Scully begins the planning process by setting goals. Then he visualizes the ideal situation he wants to be in. In this visualization, he assumes that he has control over external circumstances.