I argue the best leadership and business decisions are made in a mixer of logic and reason.
In contrast, some of the worst decisions have, are, and will continue to be made off emotion.
We are human.
We get emotional.
Emotions such as anger, jealously, anxiety, fear, and sadness do not discriminate between work and home.
Work can piss us off.
It can leave us dripping in sweaty stress.
We have to recognize this.
We have to recognize that emotion will wrap its tentacles around our decision making abilities in the work place.
Choose not to give this discussion any thought and you'll eventually make the irrational business or leadership decision when you're angry or frustrated.
The consequences? Your reputation and credibility most likely, especially if this is a common occurrence.
There's a reason - no pun intended - why standard police protocol removes homicide detectives from investigations involving the death of a personal friend or family member.
The personal connection of this scenario would make it difficult, if not impossible for the detective to penetrate the fog of emotion.
Makes sense.
The fog has to lift for reason and logic to be visible.
Thomas Jefferson said, "Where passion drives the horse, let reason hold the reigns.
" Lincoln described reason as "cold, calculated, and unimpassioned.
" Follow me back to the business world.
Business decisions cloaked in emotion made the "knee-jerk" reaction famous.
More like infamous like Hannibal Lector without the Chianti and Fava beans.
The knee-jerk reaction causes mass-casualty scenarios in the workplace like nothing else.
Crushed motivation, loss of respect, demotivation, demoralization, disenchantment, and even the loss of a job are often direct results of emotional business decisions and knee-jerk reactions.
We can overcome emotional business decisions.
There is a remedy for emotion.
Time.
Yes time.
Time is the fire that peels the leaches off the skin of emotional decision making.
Time is the holy water weapon of choice for Vampire Irrational.
It's really not complicated.
Moments, work loads, statistics, bottom lines, bosses, and subordinates, will suck us into an emotional workplace vortex.
Making a decision in this state will most likely lead to disastrous consequences.
Just wait.
Give it some time.
Sit on it.
Sleep on it.
Come back tomorrow and recalculate using the following equation: Reason + Logic = Rational This equation never fails.
Thinking critically never fails.
Emotion does.
Embracing logic and reason while letting the emotions pass will double your chances of making the right decision.