Decision Making

This past summer, I read I book called Blink, by Malcom Gladwell. In this book Gladwell describes the hidden power of the adaptive unconcious. Basically, many researches (psychologists and behavior economists) have found that humans have an uncanny ability to make quick, rapid-fire decisions little background information. Surprisingly, the adaptive unconscious works miraculously well. In one study, researchers showed three, ten-second clips of teachers lecturing to random students. The students were asked to rate the quality of the teacher, and, despite seeing the teacher interact in just half a minute, the ratings were almost identical to those made by students who had the teacher for an entire course. Later on, a two-second clip was shown to a second group, and even their ratings were almost identical to those of the teacher's students!

This idea has relevance in leadership because everyday, leaders make important decisions. From CEOs in the boardroom to coaches on the b-ball court, leaders make key choices to ensure success, often with little time to spare. In Blink, Gladwell argues that intuitive, instinctual thinking is just as important as logical, calculated reasoning. In this era of technology, with instant feedback and results, I believe this assertion rings true now more than ever. What are your thoughts?