View the TED video by Sheena Iyengar on the art of
choosing. Dr. Iyengar assumes that Americans believe the following when it
comes to making choices:
- Make your own choices,
- More options leads to better choices, and
- Never say no to choice.
Reflect on these assumptions in your
Leadership blog. Do you agree with Dr.
Iyengar? What is the implication of her
comments on leadership? Make sure to
stay tuned through the end to see Dr. Iyengar's Action Research on
pink nail polish.
This is a great video by TED
with Sheena Iyenger, full of insight and inspirations. She said there is happiness in our
choice. Of cause yes, when our choice
works, we are happy for making such decision and inspire us. However, when it turns otherwise, not
everyone is capable of accepting its consequences rather it will be blame on
something or someone.
It is a good deal when there
are multiple choices to select from but it may pose confusion sometimes. For example, when my brother was preparing
for his wedding, while distributing the wedding invitation I met one of his
friends who was ripe for marriage as well.
He was confused of choosing among his seven girl friends.
In Nigeria, we have seen
situations where parent will mandate whom to marry and even to a polygamous
home and such marriage last for their lifetime.
Choices can be influenced at time or supported.
Leaders should be accountable
for the result of their choices, and should not allow it to be affected by
emotion. All standards and rules that
are applicable should be put into consideration in making choice. For example, a task for Human Resources Manager,
to employ new staff, there will be company guide for the right candidate.
In the present world,
connection to the people of the same leadership role can be of help in making
choice. One can make his choice open for
discussion before conclusion or before choosing request his colleagues’ opinion
and evaluate it for his final choice to have a trustworthy result.
Dr. Iyengar’s Action Research
on pink nail polish is a very good illustration that we should evaluate
people’s opinion before accepting them and knows the reason behind their
choices. Their reason may not be
relevant to our goal. For example, when
I was about to make final choice on what course to choose for my Master program. I had these choices; Master of Science in
Leadership, Master of Science in Environmental Safety and Master of Science in
Project management.
However, my boss suggestion
was another degree in Electrical / Electronics Engineering. The angle at which he viewed it was that,
because NAVY did not employ me as an officer because of my age, even with my
degree. It will be difficult to get a
leadership job when I get out.
Leaders should be focus on the
reason, motivator behind their choice though people advices can be considered
but the result is theirs. There was an
illustration I grow up with, that, there was a boy who challenge an old man
that the man should show him his wisdom as people used to refer to him as the wisest
in the community.
The boy was holding two birds
in both hands and asking him which one of the bird, left or right is alive. The man said, “If I tell you the birds in any
of the hand is alive, you will squiz your hand and kill it. However, either dead or alive both are in
your hand. That is, our choices is ours,
either it result to positive or negative we should be ready for its
accountability.
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