Why are Decisions So Hard, So Often, for So Many
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Today's second topic is "The Danger and Power of First Impressions."
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Decision-making is a common topic in the articles and newsletters we receive every day. Universities offer degree and certification programs on analytics and decision-making. Every consulting firm has practices that help organizations develop their internal decision-making processes. Given all this, why is it still so often and so hard for so many?
The answer may lie in the root of the word decision. The term in English dates back to the mid-15th century. The direct source was the 14th-century Old French word 'décision.' This traces back to the Latin 'decisio,' which means 'to decide' or 'determine.'
Decisio derives from another Latin word, 'decidere.' It combines two words: 'de' (meaning off or away) and 'caedere' (meaning to cut).
It is the 'cutting off' that makes many decisions difficult. When we choose one path, we close the doors to the other alternatives. No decision is certain to be successful. We are always balancing relative risks and rewards.
Most people fail to consider a crucial part of that analysis: What are the intended and unintended consequences of saying no to the other options? The corollary question to consider is: What are the potential unintended consequences of choosing an alternative?
When faced with a choice, we have no choice. We have to decide. Or, in the immortal words of Yogi Berra – "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
Related Articles
Decision-making process (UMass Dartmouth)
How to Make Great Decisions, Quickly (Harvard Business Review)
What is decision making? (McKinsey & Company)
What Is Analytics Modelling? (Six Sigma Development Solutions)
Strategies for Making Data-Driven Decisions (Santa Clara University)
Transform your career with Data Science (Texas McCombs)
Etymology of decision (etymonline)
The Definition of Decision (dictionary.com)
The Danger and Power of First Impressions.
Photo: Photo by Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters
Daniel Kannerman's book Thinking Fast and Slow explores the human nature behind quick decisions based on first impressions. Psyche's article The scourge of lookism (Aeon - Psyche) equates first impressions with discrimination. While this is true with many 'isms' – racism, sexism, ageism, etc. – it is not necessarily true for lookism. We cannot shut off our evolutionary instincts to make quick judgments. We can manage those instincts in ourselves and others.
In The Leader With A Thousand Faces, I devote a chapter to Image. I start the chapter with a quote from Coco Channel – "Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably, and they remember the woman."
There are things we can do to help craft others' first impressions of us. Knowing that people will make snap judgments, which are difficult to change, we can frame the picture that will be the source of that first impression.
Dress for success. Our clothes need to be clean, fit well, and appropriate for the situation. This does not mean you need expensive clothes or accessories. All you need is to be well put together.
We must always be prepared. Anticipate what may be needed for any situation. Do some scenario planning and have options. For example, if you plan to use a whiteboard during a meeting, bring your own markers. Don't make people wait while you go looking for markers that work.
Organize your workspace. Know where things are so you can quickly find anything that someone may ask you for. If people visit your desk and see it is a mess, they may also assume your work is sloppy.
Be intentional with your social media and personal branding. In today's world, people research you before they meet you. They will go to LinkedIn, X, Instagram, etc., to learn about you. Think about what the pictures you post say about you. It is tempting to say private and professional lives are separate. To some extent, they are, but they directly affect each other.
Related Articles
How Many Seconds to a First Impression? (Association for Psychological Science)
Studying First Impressions: What to Consider? (Association for Psychological Science)
You And Your Business Have 7 Seconds To Make A First Impression: Here's How To Succeed (Forbes)
Labeling Yourself is Keeping You Down, Do This Instead (Nir and Far)
What I'm Up To
We were unable to take our eclipse trip to San Antonio, but we were able to see the full effect at home. We had over four minutes of complete coverage. Seeing the sun's corona was amazing.
Chips and Salsa: Snack-sized news and posts
I do not mind the article. I do not like the title. Organizations should never be AI-driven. They should be human-driven, with AI as a tool to enable decision-making.
Leading the AI-driven organization (MIT Sloan)
This article reminds me of a conversation I had with a scientist friend who did not like Oppenheimer because the film did not focus on science. I maintain that the movie's point was not science but Oppenheimer's life and the price he paid for decisions he made before and after the Manhattan Project. FYI – I liked the movie, but could have been 45 minutes shorter.
I Could Not Believe How Incompetent of a Movie Oppenheimer Was (Medium)
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Glow-in-the-dark petunias are just the beginning (Fast Company)
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After Texas' largest wildfire is contained, a rancher moves on with a single calf (Texas Tribune)
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Six-Chart Sunday (#12) – The 2024 "Meh"-lection (Bruce3 Mehlman/Age of Disruption)
This article explains why a Caitlin Clark post is an example of excellent communication. The combination of brevity and powerful words is something we can all improve on.
Saturday Night Live is at its best when the performers break. This skit from April 13 is destined to be a classic.
Beavis and Butt-Head - SNL (YouTube)
On many occasions, I have posted about the importance of sleep to health and productivity. This article discusses that and several other healthy lifestyle changes you can make. The line about Delhi traffic requiring you to honk more and drive less. Once, when booking a trip to India, the travel agent asked me if I wanted to rent a car. I responded, "No, thank you. I cannot honk my horn that much."
You Shrink Your Brain Rapidly With These 5 Stupid Everyday Habits (Medium)
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The hidden price of leaving a big city (Business Insider)
Taylor Swift proves her business acumen again.
Without Saying a Word, Taylor Swift Just Pulled Off the Ultimate Power Move (Inc)
All you have to do is remember it is not about you. In a previous newsletter, I reviewed Mr. Abrahams' book, Think Fast, Talk Smart.
Quotes
"You only need to know the direction, not the destination. The direction is enough to make the next choice."
- James Clear
"For every thing you have missed, you have gained something else."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."
- Sidney J. Harris
You can order The Leader With A Thousand Faces on the Recommended Reading Page of my website.
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