Category Archives: Psychology

As our decision making skills decline with age, how does it affect our ability to innovate?

As our decision making skills decline with age, how does it affect our ability to innovate?

Much like corporations become slow and stagnant, our own skills decline as we age; unless we do something about it. Nowhere is this more apparent than in decision making…

What a 16 year old magician can teach you about exceeding expectations

Imagine seeing an ad about a restaurant that makes fish tacos. Now imagine seeing a comment on Facebook from a friend about a restaurant he is at that not only sells fish tacos, but also poetically entertains you. And, next to that text is a picture of a hand written poem by the waiter that serviced him.

Which one makes you more curious?

Exactly!

Tunnel vision: The enemy of strategic thinking

tunnel vision

Two weekends ago, I went to Disneyland with my brother. We had a good time and got a on a lot rides. Including some I’ve never gotten on before. Astro Blasters is one such ride. If you’ve never experienced it, think of it as a shooting gallery on wheels.

Basically, you ride a two person pod that has two laser guns attached to it along with a screen that shows you how many points you have. Your task is to hit targets with the letter “Z” on them. Different targets are worth different points. And, as you’ve probably guessed, you have to accumulate as many points as you can.

What is interesting about this ride, beyond the shooting, is that the Disney staff loading you onto the pods don’t tell you about specific goals (points) you should reach for. Nor did I see any Leader boards anywhere. I did see people taking pictures of the screen where their total points is displayed. Most likely they were going to share this with their friends and brag about it.

It is a fun and exhilarating ride. Very different that just sitting there and looking at your surroundings. But…ask me what I remember about what I saw inside. Not much.

I do remember where I saw those “Z” targets I had to shoot at. I don’t remember much of what was around that. Interesting right?

What Sherlock Holmes can teach us about decision making

I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with decision making. And, I’m also a sucker for anything that has to do with Sherlock Holmes. The two go together nicely. That is why I was excited to buy Maria Konnikova’s new book, Mastermind: How to think like Sherlock Holmes.

I found this excellent video where Maria talks about some of the ideas behind her book as well as some tips on how to make more rational decisions.