118. Making good decisions: Short-term emotion

Boardrooms might seem like emotionless environments, but they *really* aren't. Even though we can't stop ourselves from feeling emotions, we can definitely acknowledge and manage the influence our emotions have on our decisions. In this episode, I refer to a recent episode of the No Stupid Questions podcast. Listen to it here:  Background music is Of the Stars by KC Roberts & the Live Revolution   SCRIPT Another of the Heath Brothers’ villains of decision-making is short-term emotion. Many of us think of corporate decisions, especially those that happen in boardrooms, as being predictable, regulated, structured, even somber. In my experience, that tends to be a pretty accurate description, but that absolutely does not mean that the process is devoid of emotion. Is embarrassment an emotion? According to the recent episode 109 of the awesome podcast “No Stupid Questions,” it definitely is. I talk to *a lot* of corporate directors…like a lot a lot…and there are as many as not who’ve confided in me that they’ve found themselves at one point or another unwilling to ask a question or raise a concern because they were for all intents and purposes EMBARRASSED. To admit they don’t know, to disagree with a respected colleague, to push against the status quo, or whatever. And if someone – likely several someones – in your boardroom are too embarrassed to express themselves, then that somber boardroom vibe is clearly working at cross purposes to good governance. And that’s not even addressing the times that directors might spontaneously feel anger, frustration, pride, elation…all in ways that could negatively impact their ability to be impartial participants in making decisions. In your homework, the Heath Brothers offer some good advice here. I think I would boil my own advice down to something pretty simple: sllllooowwww doowwwwnnn. Good decisions take time. Most decisions aren’t emergencies, and if they are, you’re even more likely to get tripped up by short-term emotion!