Title: Choose Wisely
Watching Sheena Iyengar’s video on the Art of Choosing proved insightful and inspiring. Being a regular
consumer of Starbucks’ coffee, I found it interesting that she mentioned one of
their mottos: “Happiness is in your choice.” Facing reduced sales and a
declining stock price for the first time, Starbucks found themselves in
unfamiliar territory. In his book, Onward, Howard Schultz (2011) said, “There are
moments in our lives when we summon the courage to make wise choices that go
against reason, against common sense and the wise counsel of people we trust. But we lean forward nonetheless because, despite all risks and rational
argument, we believe that the path we are choosing is the right and best thing
to do. We refuse to be bystanders, even if we do not know exactly where our
actions will lead. This is the kind of passionate conviction that sparks
romance, wins battles, and drives people to pursue dreams others wouldn’t dare. Belief in ourselves and in what is right catapults us over hurdles, and our
lives unfold” (p. 7).
In her video, Dr.
Iyengar’s identified an American approach toward decision-making by elaborating
on three assumptions of choice. First, she said Americans believe they should
make their own choice; second, they believe the greater number of options
available, the better choice they will make; and lastly, they believe when
given the opportunity, one should never refuse to choose. When it comes to leadership, choices are the
fuel that drives the success of an organization and the growth and development
of its people. Each of Iyengar’s assumptions has significant consequence for
leaders.
First, in
leadership, most decisions are not made unilaterally. Believing “if a choice
affects you, you should make it” is a dangerous mindset with costly consequences. Some decisions require minimal deliberation whereas others require gathering
input from many sources. Iyengar said, “When two or more people see their
choice as similar and affecting the whole, they join together in making
choices.” By combining efforts and gathering subject intelligence from many
sources, a leader’s decision-making process will be greatly enhanced and the
end result is normally greater efficiency.
Secondly, the
assumption that states “the more options one has, the better choice they make”
is a fallacious mindset. Whether a leader is limited to a handful of choices or
has an innumerable number of options, making decisions using the critical
thinking process will lead to selecting the best way forward. As Iyengar said
in her video, “The value in choice is in our ability to perceive differences
between the options.” Great leaders are able to weigh the options in front of
them by viewing their choices in light of possible successes and failures,
regardless of the number of possibilities.
And lastly, operating
under the premise of never refusing a choice could cause leaders to select a
choice without having the benefit of experience, knowledge, or information. In
their book, The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner (2007) said, “Leaders
make choices about where they spend their time and attention” (p. 79). With that being said, there are times when
leaders need to allow their constituents to make decisions while they manage
the overall direction of the organization.
I believe people
are the sum total of their choices. While there are an incalculable number of
variables and unforeseen influences regularly shifting and maneuvering our
decisions, I’ve found my successes and our failures have risen and fallen on
our daily decisions. At the end of the day, the domain of leaders is the
future. The most significant contribution leaders make is not simply to today’s
bottom line; it is to the long-term development of people and institutions so
they can adapt, change, prosper, and grow (Kouzes & Posner, 2007, p. xvi). This
development occurs through accurate and the well-planned selection of choices. I
believe Dr. Iyengar summed it up best when she said, “We all have a
responsibility to open ourselves up to a wider array of what choices can do and
what they represent.”
Steve
References:
Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z.
(2007). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Bass.
Schultz, H. (2011). Onward. New
York, NY: Rodale.
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