In his brilliant page-turner, How Decisions Are Made, Jonah Lehrer poses one of the most significant questions facing professionals in this highly competitive age. Here's the set-up:
The mystery of how we make decisions--how Tom Brady chooses where to throw the ball--is one of the oldest mysteries of the mind. Even though we are defined by our decisions, we are often completely unaware of what's happening inside our heads during the decisionmaking process. You can't explain why you bought the box of Honey Nut Cheerios, or stopped at the yellow traffic light, or threw the football to Troy Brown. On the evaluation sheets of NFL scouts, decisionmaking is listed in the category Intangibles. It's one of the most important qualities in a quarterback, and yet nobody knows what it is.
In his book, Lehrer draws on the latest neuroscience research. What's unique is that he challenges the old "rational model" of decisionmaking and deals with the blend of emotions and reasoning.
The excerpt I've chosen, however, also reveals the truth--admittedly as an aside--that we are "defined by our decisions." One of the less obvious facts of the business world is that all business people have an implicit understanding of intelligence. And what's still more important is that managers evaluate people based on that unspoken definition of intelligence residing in their gray matter.
A fascinating piece of research by Robert Sternberg revealed that intelligence in the business community emphasizes the following competencies:
- the ability to think logically
- the ability to focus on the essential aspects of a problem
- the ability to follow others' arguments easily
- the ability to see where these arguments lead
That may seem very obvious, however, an effective listener will quickly realize that little conversation takes place within these parameters. Those of us in the consulting field are often sent off for a conversation with an employee for one specific purpose: to ascertain whether that employee has the "smarts" (never use the term 'intelligence' in a business setting--it's dangerous) to take on another project. What I've realized with 25 years of clients is that the person I'm "interviewing" hasn't made it clear in conversations whether he has the four competencies listed above. And so the boss wants a second opinion.
Save yourself some time, and do some smart self-advocacy. Periodically, when talking to your boss, make certain that these four competencies are put to work. Of course, if you're a bit at sea, you may want to hit the books and make certain you can talk "intelligently" and demonstrate your business smarts. Your career future may be on the line.
In addition to Lehrer's book which is more fun than a "how to," you may want to go to work with a slim "how to" like Decision Traps, by Russo and Schoemaker. You don't read? Hmmm. I heard that message from a bright Gen-Y technology worker in a brief conversation at the coffee shop. I rather quietly suggested that he was looking forward to career suicide. I was delighted to hear his recognition of that fact--and an acknowledgement that he needed to get his "stuff" together.