The Art of Choosing
Nowadays, the system make
us think that having the freedom to make choices is beneficial to everyone
and in all situations. Most of the countries, especially those with
restrictions regarding to genders, casts, races, assumes this is the
best benefit of America: variety and freedom to make choices. In America, you
choose what to do with your own life, and the opportunities are vast, there,
simply waiting for someone to grab it! You make the decisions which affects
your own life.
Dr. Sheena
Iyengar (2010) on her speech about choices brings up this subject with mastery.
She went through some studies regarding to the art of choosing, to see how it
is influenced by cultures, backgrounds, how it brings different consequences
and until which point, the freedom to make choices is beneficial. She
stated that the choices are more influenced by who the chooser is than the
options available.
According
to Dr. Iyengar (2010) Americans make three assumptions when it comes to make
choices, which are:
1. If a choice affects you, then you
should be the one to make it.
2. The more choices you have the
more likely you are to make the best choices.
3. You must never say no to choices.
Considering these assumptions,
she concludes that the benefic idea of choice is distorted due to cultural
differences, situation itself and consequences which always having choices and
making them can lead to. Dr. Iyengar agrees with the fact that choices made the
world a fairer place, however having the Americans assumptions as an absolute
truth is not necessarily the right way of thinking, based on her studies.
I agree in Dr. Iyengar, and bringing those conclusions to a leadership
point of view, make me think how a leader is always in a position do make decision,
to choose the best way to deal with determined situation, to think always in a holistic
perspective while choosing. As a leader we do not have a choice of not
choosing, so what we can learn from Dr. Iyengar speech, is whenever it is
possible, think if it is really a choice to be made, when, and if we really need to
make it, what we should consider and how to filter them to avoid having a big amount of
choices as a confusion key on decision making.
Still on this subject, Nosich (2012, p. 49) list alternatives as a
central element of reasoning. Nosich (2012, p. 61) states that whenever we
reason, there are alternatives, in other words, choices. As per Nosich
perspective, the freedom of having alternatives is one of the greatest benefits
of learning to think critically. He says that think about the elements of
reasoning in terms of alternatives is empowering in a direct way. Make us think
in other possible potential paths which we could not see before, make us
consider different possibilities. So, the ideas of both researches, connected,
make us think on the importance on the art of choosing in leader perspective.
“
We need to develop the ability to give up desired alternative paths, accepting
that it is often important to grieve for paths we could not follow.” (Nosich)
Iyengar S. (2010). The art of choosing. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing?language=en#t-904622
Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning to think things through: A guide to critical thinking across the curriculum (4th edition). Boston, MA: Pearson.
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