Wise Decision-Making
Surprising New Survey Shows Most Customers “Trust Their Gut” When Making Purchasing Decisions
Consumers mostly make their shopping choices with their gut. As a result, they make many poor decisions. One of these decisions is to rely increasingly on online user reviews compared to recommendations from friends, even though user reviews are often misleading.
Read More8-Step Leadership Decision-Making Process for Making the Best Decisions
8-step decision-making process: 1) Identify need for decision; 2) Get relevant info; 3) Decide goals; 4) Develop criteria; 5) Generate a few viable options; 6) Weigh options; 7) Implement decision; 8) Revise implementation and decision as needed.
Read More8 Key Steps for Effective Leadership Decision Making to Avoid Decision Disasters
Effective leadership decision making on critical decisions involves: 1) Deciding the decision criteria; 2) Weighing importance of criteria; 3) Grading your options using the criteria; 4) Checking with your head and gut; 5) Sticking to your choice.
Read More8 Key Steps to Prevent Failure in Implementing Decisions, or Managing Projects or Processes
To prevent a project or process disaster, imagine that it completely failed. Then, brainstorm all plausible reasons for failure, and generate solutions to these potential problems. Integrate these solutions into your project or process.
To maximize project or process success, envision that it succeeded spectacularly. Brainstorm likely reasons for such success, and generate strategies that would lead to such success. Integrate these strategies into your project or process.
Read MoreDoes the Starbucks Unconscious Bias Training Go Against Human Nature?
Caption: Photo of Starbucks coffee store sign (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) On May 29, over 8,000 Starbucks stores across the US closed their doors for an unconscious bias training. Starbucks intended this training to serve both as a PR effort to address the outrage over a store manager whose racism led to two black customers…
Read MoreHere’s Why Your Gut Instinct Is Wrong At Work – And How To Know When It Isn’t
Let’s say you’re interviewing a new applicant for a job and you feel something is off. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you’re a bit uncomfortable with this person. She says all the right things, her resume is great, she’d be a perfect hire for this job – except your gut…
Read MoreThe Science of Effective Fundraising: Four Common Mistakes to Avoid
Charities that use their funds effectively to make a social impact frequently struggle to fundraise effectively. Indeed, while these charities receive plaudits from those committed to measuring and comparing the impact of donations across sectors, many effective charities have not successfully fundraised large sums outside of donors focused highly on impact. In many cases,…
Read MoreCollaborative Truth-Seeking
We frequently use debates to resolve different opinions about the truth. However, debates are not always the best course for figuring out the truth. In more emotionally charged situations, the technique of collaborative truth-seeking is often better. The Problem with Debates The usual method of hashing out disagreements in order to discover…
Read MoreHow to Get Your Brain Off of Autopilot
Use these science-based strategies to think intentionally instead. Imagine you are driving on autopilot, as we all do much of the time. Suddenly the car in front of you unexpectedly cuts you off. You slam on your brakes and feel scared and indignant. Maybe you flash your lights or honk your horn. What’s your…
Read MoreDon’t Let Others Run Your Life!
Back when I was in high school and through the first couple of years in college, I had a clear career goal. I planned to become a medical doctor. Why? Looking back at it, my career goal was a result of the encouragement and expectations from my family and friends. …
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