Too Many Choices

            Sheena Lyengar goes over something which I feel closely relates to my current life, Sheena goes over the obstacles and disadvantages of having or making too many choices. At my job I am in charge of moving America’s freight in the form of trains across the country, one would think that this would be a simple task mixed in with a couple of intricacies. Sheena said that the average American makes about 70 choices a day, I on the other hand feel like I am making about three to four hundred choices in an eight hour period. There are so many decisions and choices which need to be make at work that by the end of eight stressful hours I am losing my focus and I feel a mental strain. Incorporate this mental strain with the amount of choices which need to be done outside of work and this can account for me wanting to skip the world market food emporium with 100 different types of jams and drive me straight to the Aldi store with only one type of strawberry jam.

            This busy and choice filled way of working is a typical day in the life of many professional Americans and this is why Sheena’s presentation makes so much sense. In the study that Sheena completed she realized that when we are offered or forced to make too many choices and decisions our brain can only keep this up for so long. Our mental capacity for the day can easily be reached if overwhelmed, once this point has been reached I make it a point to head straight to my couch and stare at mindless television until my mind has relaxed enough.

            So as aspiring leaders and future business professional we have to ask ourselves; how can we stop our consumers from feeling this way? Sheena Lyengar gives us four methods for helping businesses avoid causing their consumers to make a mad dash for the store exit and hang around a bit longer to spend some extra money. Her four methods consist of cutting the amount of choices at the store so people can hone in a lot easier on one product to purchase. Categorize items to help consumers make easier choices, Sheena believes that this will help us tell items apart. Concretize items to make them real; Sheena believes that if people can understand the ins and outs of a product and they can grasp the concept of the item than it becomes something real and perhaps something worth spending money on. Sheena’s fourth method is conditioning, if we can condition people to hang around longer by slowly working them up to more choices than we might not lose them in the process.

            I think that these are all great methods, I can truly see myself putting these methods into practice and saving a business extreme amounts of profit. If I could use two of these methods for my own decision making purposes and finding a way to utilize these methods of my own organization; I would look for ways to cut the amount of choices and condition people to want to make choices. I think that if I can cut the amount of products available so that I can provide a lower price to the consumer; in the long run I will condition them to buy more because the less things cost the less amount of decisions need to be made. When you are spending less at a store you are not as worried about staying within your budget, there are less choices to be made for the average American if they do not have to think how a shopping experience will affect the rest of their week.

            I feel that today Sheena has provided me with four new tools to use in my everyday life. As she mentions in her presentations these are all methods which we can use for ourselves not only for business purposes. I see myself heading to the nearest Aldi from now on after a stressful day at work; I think I have found my solution for those days when I have reached my “making choices threshold”. I will no longer spend that extra time at the store making choices for things that do not matter too much for me. From now on I see myself going to the World Market Emporium only if I am in the mood to take a stroll around the store and kill some spare time wine tasting and perhaps buying some specially aged cheese from Italy. My days of making too many choices will be cut down when necessary and enjoyed only when wanted.   

 

By: Alberto Gil

MSLD 632

                

Making decesions

            Decision making has never been an easy process, there are so many “what if’s” involved in the decision making process. In our text it describes a way to put these “what if’s” into a sort of mathematical formula which might help us decide what is the best path to take when making decisions.

            The first step in the decision making process according to our text is to make an accumulation of knowledge. A firm which is trying to make a decision on which company they choose to use in a partnership might go through a trial period. Through a trial period a company can gain data on a certain service which they are receiving from a company. In the example used in the text a company is torn between two different providers, they are uncertain of who will give them the best coverage. The formula in the text works well because they use this trial period to make an educated guess on who will be the best provider.

            Once this firm has gone through the trial period they can then apply this knowledge into the formula which researchers use to solve multistage problems. They take the facts that they have on a prior providers potential for one year and then they take the accumulation of knowledge from the second provider and apply the potential for profit in one year. Once their formula is in place they are able to use information to decide if the new provider will offer them better coverage which will in turn give them a higher potential for profit.

            This is an interesting way of looking at decision making, in some ways we all use formulas when making decisions. In life we weigh the pros and cons of a decision and then come to a conclusion. I think that a lot of the decision making I make in life are either split second decisions done without much thought of decisions based on my passed experiences. During my decision making process I also incorporate how my feelings are on certain subject matter, it is usually an uneducated guess when I make decisions in this matter; this would be an optimal way of making decisions.

            I do believe that the formula in which researchers solve multistage problems would truly improve the types of decisions that I usually make. I think that if I actually get an accumulation of knowledge at the beginning of each decision that I make; I might see things in a much clearer light. As humans we make brash decisions and base them on emotional content rather than knowing the facts. If we take the time to stop and think about the future outcomes of our decisions instead of living in the now; better choices can be made. If I were to use this formula it would also increase my ability to succeed at forward planning, “studies find that people generally can plan no further than just one step beyond the current decision” (Wharton).

            One thing that I have found myself very interested in lately is current events and politics, I think that when you look at the politics of a country you can see where the future is headed. If I am using optimal dynamic decision analysis I am able to understand the future a bit better by looking at current events. Many times decision makers use these techniques to understand which route might their investments take based on the world around us. This is definitely a technique which would be very valuable to me, I would definitely apply this technique to the way that I make decisions for a company or myself. If we pay attention to current events we are empowering ourselves, to know the future one must have a good understanding of the past and present. I believe that if I am making decisions using this technique than I can break the pattern which many people have of not being able to think one step ahead.

 

Reference:

Hooch, S., & Keunruther, H. (2001). Bumbling Geniuses: The Power of Everday Reasoning in Multistage Decision Making. In Making Decesions (1 st ed., Vol. 1, p. 45). Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons.

 

The Dimensions Of Leadership

In chapter twelve of the leaders guide denning goes over some very important dimensions of leadership. Every leader needs to have a certain guide line which they follow to be successful, there are core values which need to be upheld every time someone takes on the role of a leader. Being a leader is a big responsibility, as a leader you are in charge of a team of individuals that look up to you to make the right decisions which will guide the team to success. In chapter 12 there were three particular dimensions which I know I will use in the future and reflect on these techniques to guide me on the right path to being a better leader. In my opinion the three keys to being a leader are connecting with your group, being free of your ego and being a leader which has feeling.

Leadership that connects is supplied by a leader which is interactive, a leader that connects has their own agenda but they are also interested in seeking the opinions of others. A leader that can connect with their group on different levels has many advantages; once a leader is connecting with their team they can learn from their view points. Seeing solutions for different obstacles through the eyes of all of your team members can have a very successful effect on a project and on the moral as a group in general. When a leader is able to connect in an effective way they are also able to connect to an audience and get their point across. Being able to get your point across and effectively convey a message to your audience is what being a leader is about.

Leader ship that is free of ego, this is a leader which is trying to make a difference in the team. This type of leader is not looking for a return, better yet their goal is to give to the team and make things run as smooth as possible. A leader who is not concerned with their ego is even willing to suffer through loss or humiliation to attain the goal of the team, this is a selfless person who tries to make everything around them better. As Denning states we have seen leaders like this in the past who have accomplished great things; leaders like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela would be amongst this list of ego free leadership.

Our third dimension and I believe the most important dimension which is leadership that has feeling. We have all been moved by leaders who believe in their cause, this is important as a leader because a leader must be able to motivate an audience. I believe that there are many leaders that complete their job without passion, they finish their task because they have to not because they want to. Many times people are driven to finish a task because they are driven by a paycheck; I feel that this type of leader does not put in any feeling to what they are doing. A leader that completes task by pouring their heart and soul into a project is a leader which can create something special. These types of leaders are not motivated by money, what pushes these types of leaders is the fact that they know they are working towards something that might make a difference.

The three dimensions of leadership which I mentioned above are in my opinion are some of the core characteristics of great leaders. Leaders that have made a difference in this world know how to connect to an audience, they are free of their egos and they lead with feeling. I think that if I incorporate these three dimensions into my own leadership skills I can someday make a difference in the way things are done. Every leader who cares about their team and their work wants to make an impact. If I can add some of these leadership dimensions to my vast repertoire of leadership skills than I think I can be a great leader someday.    

 

 

   

 

public speaking

            Talking to a complete stranger, this is not an easy task for some people; for others it is hard for them to keep to themselves when in public. I always wondered why certain people were good at speaking in public and what made them so good at sparking a conversation with people around them. Sometimes people are only good at one or the other, for example I feel that I am good with talking to strangers but I get nervous when I am speaking in front of a crowd. I have never felt like I am able to work a room with ease but I do feel confident about myself.

            When reading our text called “Messages” I began to understand what some people might go through when trying to speak to strangers. People that are not good at sparking a conversation with strangers usually feel like that person is not interested in them. They feel like they are not smart, or they feel that they are boring and do not know if anyone would be interested in them; this is what rejection can do to someone that is not confident in themselves. I found this learning lesson from our text interesting because this is the way that I feel when I am in front of an audience.

            According to our text the key is to reframe rejection, we have to realize that the ideas which we are creating in our minds are usually not true. “We are mind reading when we say that someone might not be interested in us”(Messages pg.207), we are truly never sure of what someone is thinking at all. The reason for rejection might be because the other person might be afraid of strangers, they could be worried about other things which they might have on their mind or they might have a very hectic schedule this particular day and no time to chit chat. There are many reasons which can cause someone to reject a conversation, the key is to not view it as a personal issue.

            I think that growing up in a city where there are millions of people and you are constantly in contact with them by riding the subway and taking the bus everywhere you go; being social might come naturally. On a subway conversations are sparked on a daily basis, people complain about how long they have been waiting for a train, how dirty the subway station is and even how dirty the person sleeping next to you might be. This has helped me immensely in my life, I am very social amongst strangers and for the most part I have always been. My upbringing has given me the opportunity to feel that when I am in public I am not worried about what other people are thinking about me because I am so used to constantly being around others. My next step in life will be to get accustomed to feeling this way in front of an audience.     

Reference:

Mckay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Negotiation. In Messages, The Communication Skils Book (3rd ed., p. 207). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

 

 

                                                                                             

Learning Stories

            For this story I am going to use Denning’s example (Leaders Guide To Storytelling pg. 186-187) of how a positive story from the past in someone’s memory can become a learning experience which can one day save their lives or the lives of others.

 

 

            As a child I grew up in New York City, there were many years when we had very extreme winters. Driving in the city during the winters was never easy, people had to be extremely careful and have prior knowledge on how to react in case of an emergency. When I was a kid at one point my dad was a cab driver; being that he was a cab driver he had extensive knowledge of driving around in the city and he knew the safest way to handle every emergency.

            I remember that as a kid he would always tell me safety tips about driving and what to do in different situations. He once told me about an incident where the temperature had fallen below freezing, there was a lot of moisture on the ground because some of the snow that was already out had melted while the sun was out. At the time he did not realize it but all of this moisture on the ground had frozen over and became black ice. While driving around that night in his big white 1980’s era Lincoln town car he would run into a surprise that he would be ready for.

            He told me that he was driving on the highway around two in the morning, there was almost no one out on the road which was surprising for NYC. As he was making a turn on the highway he felt his car start to drift, he immediately knew not to panic and he said that he calmly and continuously tapped the brakes on his car. He eventually came to a stop in the middle of the highway after sliding in circles for a couple of hundred feet. He felt lucky but he knew that if he had panicked and slammed on his breaks he would have slid right into a brick wall which lined the side of the highway. This stuck with me as a child because it was one of the few stories which my father’s life had been in danger.

            As a kid it was uncommon to learn how to drive in the city so I never got the chance to have my dad teach me how to drive, I am sure that he would have been a great instructor. I joined the military at the age of eighteen and by nineteen I was able to afford my own car. I taught myself how to drive which was kind of scary but with the help of a few friends I ended up being just fine.

            When I was twenty years old my duty station was switched from Bremerton, Washington state to Pensacola Florida. I was excited to leave the north and I had to find a way to get my car to Florida so I decided that I would make a cross country trip and experience something new. I decided I would stop by home in New York first though, it would be a good halfway point where I can relax for a couple of days.

            I decided to drive across the northern portion of the United States during December in a Ford Focus. This probably was not the best idea, but the views I had seen where breath taking and worth all of the trouble. It seemed that I was doing just fine until I got to Montana; it was a great drive and it seemed like there was a lot less snow. It was sunny and I thought that all was good, little did I know that the temperature outside was well below freezing and I would run into some black ice myself. As I was making a big turn on this highway I started to realize that my car was turning by itself. I was sliding out of control at about sixty-five miles per hour and it was a scary feeling. I almost began to panic but then for some reason I thought back to my dad’s experience while sliding on ice. I calmly tapped my breaks and eventually I slowly came to a stop, on this day there were also no other cars on the road. I quickly turned my car around and continued on the highway, my life had been saved.

            I felt so lucky and I immediately called my dad and told him what happened, he was happy that I was still alive and doing well. His story had such a huge impact on me and it became such a good learning experience that I was able to react the correct way when faced with an emergency situation. Stories like this can have a big impact on people, stories like this are a great way to learn valuable lessons which might come in handy one day when you least expect it.

 

Reference:

-          Denning, S. (2011). The leader’s guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons/Jossey-Bass

 

   

High Performance Teams

            Hi performance teams are interesting, in my opinion it seems like they have been around longer than we have known to even call them a high performance team. These teams are very similar to the teams that people form in a community, people are in high performance teams because they want to be not because they are forced to be in them. Like a team which is formed in a community people on high performance teams have a passion for what they do, they also take on the moto of “all for one and one for all”. I see high performance teams as a group of people that want to come together for the greater cause.

            There are many elements to a high performance team, one element is that they all have a “shared passion”(denning), this reminds me of the many little league baseball teams that I have been on in the past. I remember how strong a bond we all had as kids wanting to attain the same goal of being champions, we all knew what we wanted and on separate instances we would all rise to the occasion.

            When I was Thirteen years old I was part of a championship team that went undefeated that year, no one could match our teams skill. A big reason for this was that we would rapidly adjust to the shifting needs of the team, I see this as an important element for a high performance team. It is important because we would never let the next man down, when one of us failed the other person was there to pick them up. Another important element to our team which resembled a high performance team was the fact that we got better as the season went on, we saw our few mistakes and worked hard to get better at our sport each day.

            My time on that team was very meaningful, it was an incredible year and to this day; sixteen years later I will never forget the good times and the friends that I made that year. It seemed like we were all so passionate about the same thing and winning was the top agenda for all of us. We shared the same values, this was what started our amazing bond, without these values which we shared we would not have had the strength to come together and do something so special.

            Being on such a powerful team at such a young age showed me what it truly meant to be on a successful team, it was going to be hard for any other team to ever compare to what I had just experienced. Later on in life I had been part of what our text calls a work group, this is a group that even though they might be labeled a team; they are far from it. A work group has people that report to the same person and do work together but they do not depend on each other. It is more of an everyman for themselves type of work environment. I see work groups as people that are part of a team but are only interested in their own advancement, needless to say that I never really liked work groups.

            It was not until many years later when I joined the NAVY that I felt like I was in a real team again, the only difference was that the NAVY was more like a community. I was never asked to join this team I just became part of it by volunteering, I knew I wanted to do something different and this community accepted me in. Every person in this community had a different job; on our boat which we called home it took everyone’s skill to survive each day. We had people who would navigate our boat, people that would cook for us, people that supplied us and people that would defend us in case the need for that came. We all shared responsibilities and we would take turns standing watch; I had once again found what it was like to truly be on a team by joining this community. I will never forget my experience in the NAVY, it changed my life and molded me into who I am today.   

 

Reference:

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

 

Ethics

            Ethics in this world is something that is very important, rather it have to be ethics involving a family, a team or even a business; ethics are an essential key to success for these groups. Anytime there is a group which is brought together to complete a task there needs to be a certain code in order for there to be success. This code which is needed would be viewed as ethics, there are three basic components to ethics which firms must use if they are to survive in todays’ very competitive market.

            Trust, this is the general expectation among members that their fellows will behave ethically (Denning). Without trust people would not be able to form partnerships or team members would not be able to get the job done if they cannot depend on the person which they are working with. Trust in my company might just be the most important component of ethics, working for the railroad is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. When working for the railroad if you cannot trust the person you are working with your life will be at risk. Every year people die on the railroad because someone in their team made the wrong decision or they were careless.

            Loyalty, the acceptance of the obligation to refrain from breaching one another’s trust and to fulfill the duties entailed by accepting that trust (Denning). Loyalty to my company is important but then again I think this can be improved, I have seen a growing trend of nepotism at work. I feel that even though people are favoring their family members for promotions I see this as a lack of loyalty to those that have put in the hard work for you. I recently noticed that there is a twenty-eight year old recently promoted high position supervisor with only three years of railroad experience and a father which is in a very high position. This position usually goes to someone with about fifteen to twenty years of experience, I see this as a slap in the face to those that have poured their blood, sweat and tears into a company. I think that this good old boy system is very damaging to a company and I have seen many good talent walk out the door because of this system.

            Solidarity, caring for other people’s interest and being ready to take action on behalf of others, even if it conflicts with personal interests. This is very important because a company has to care for its employees, I have always felt that when employee morale is high then a company has a better chance to succeed. I think that this should be taken into account at BNSF railroad also. This year was a record breaking year for BNSF, we had more business than we knew what to do with it. Because business was so abundant train velocity slowed down due to all of the rail traffic, slower train velocity affected operations year-end bonuses tremendously. This last year BNSF handed out the biggest bonuses ever to top company officials, and also the smallest bonuses to the people who did all of the hard work. I understand that a lot of the money stays at the top but I do feel that the operations officer should have changed this bonus system on behalf of all of the hard work which operations department put in.

            I see that BNSF was built on good values and it is a very successful company but I do think that BNSF needs to take a deeper look into the ethics which Denning showcases in this chapter.

 

References:

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.