Instructions:
- Post a new discussion related to the topics covered in this module. Your post needs to provide specific lessons learned with examples from this module helping you enhance your leadership capacity at work.
- After posting your discussion, review posts provided by other students in the class and reply to at least one of them.
7 Comments
One of the key takeaways I took from this module was on finding your purpose. Simon Sinek talked about the three ways people find their purpose: through a close loving relationship, through service and through suffering. Knowing your purpose means you know the direction of your life and where to concentrate your energy. Your purpose is what you want to achieve and helps find the “why.”
As I reflect on the Start with Why module, one of my key takeaways was the importance of understanding how the brain operates when it comes to decision-making. In his book, Simon Sinek emphasizes the significance of starting with why in order to inspire and motivate others. However, a better understanding of how the brain operates and why an individual makes the decisions will also clarify the decision-making process.
Wellington suggests that those who make decisions rationally typically take more time to conclude. In some cases, this extended period of consideration can result in a lower-quality decision. On the other hand, individuals who trust their gut or instinct are tapping into their limbic brain, which provides an innate sense of what is right. These people are often able to make quality decisions more efficiently.
As a professional in the public safety line of work, I believe that it is essential to master both types of decision-making skills. Each situation requires a different decision, and adapting to the problem at hand is crucial. By understanding how the brain operates and the different types of decision-making skills, we can make better decisions and ultimately be more effective in our roles.
Reference:
Scott, W. (2017). Reflective leadership. 2.10, Week # 8. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses/
NAGVXPB5E6/StartWithWhy0514d820-806f-4d18-90ae-defa40b68821/5/index_lms.html
Simon Sinek is one of my favorites. He has such a way with words and can motivate anyone to be a better human and worker. The book “Start with Why – How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” has some fantastic points that leaders of all organizations should pay attention to. Knowing the why puts passion and optimism into the work. This culture creates an inspired workforce that is more productive. One of the things that struck me in this lesson that was new (since we previously talked in a prior lesson about The Golden Circle) was about hiring people. It was made clear that hiring people who buy-into your why is especially important. We can’t all pay the best or have the most fancy equipment, but if we can attract people to our culture, passion, and beliefs… the why at our core…. they’ll be willing to offer blood, sweat, and tears. And in the public safety field, we all know those things might be the cost of our business. We need people how are passionate about the public we serve and the role we play in society. We need people who know that this job makes a difference in people’s lives. Those are the people who will make us proud and produce for the greater good.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Simon Sinek’s book “Start with Why.” I completely agree that knowing the “why” behind our work is crucial for creating an inspired and productive workforce. I found it interesting that you mentioned the importance of hiring people who buy into your why. Indeed, attracting people who are passionate about your organization’s mission is more important than just offering high salaries or fancy equipment. And in the public safety field, it’s even more crucial to have dedicated people committed to serving the public. Your post highlights the importance of having a strong sense of purpose and passion in our work. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Having a better understanding of how the brain operates and why an individual makes the decisions they do will clarify the decision-making process. According to Wellington, individuals who make decisions rationally tend to take a longer period of time to make decisions. Often times the individual overthinks the decision and the quality is low. An individual who follows their instinct or gut is utilizing their limbic brain. This is an instinctive feeling of knowing what the right thing to do is. These individuals have the ability to make higher quality decisions quicker (2017). I believe that in the public safety line of work it is important to master both types of decision-making skills. Each situation requires a different type of decision.
Reference
Scott, W. (2017). Reflective leadership. 2.10, Week # 8. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses/
NAGVXPB5E6/StartWithWhy0514d820-806f-4d18-90ae-defa40b68821/5/index_lms.html
I feel this to my core! I naturally have good instincts, but my rational brain always wants a piece of the action. Regularly I’ll spend days mulling over all the data over a specific purchase. Recently it was which Garmin watch to buy. I had an instinct on which watch to buy, but it wasn’t cheap and I wanted to make the right decision. I read all the data, watched all the videos about the different products, comparison videos, reviews… you name it, I’m sure I looked at it. I even asked friends and family what they thought. All of their instincts (with basically 0 data) was the exact same watch, the one I had the initial instinct to buy as well. They knew me and they knew what would be the best fit. I knew they were right, but I kept wanting more data. I woke up one night in the middle of the night and just bought the watch I knew I should have bought days ago. It was my gut instinct. The data was helpful to solidify it, but it wasn’t the tipping point for me to make my decision. I knew which one was best for me, just as my friends knew which was right for me. In the end, it was a good choice.
But hearing this information in the lesson definitely helped me understand that following your gut feeling is enough. Obviously you should be informed about the decision, but gut instincts are based in the limbic brain which deals with trust and loyalty. It’s important to follow that feeling unless we have reason to doubt it’s correct.
I tend to agree that mastering both types of decision making in public safety is important and different scenarios require different decisions. In my experience the people that overthink their decisions are usually not confident in their skills and abilities and try to rationalize each situation. This can be frustrating and sometimes devastating. The people who are confident in their knowledge and abilities and are able to draw from experience while following their instincts make the high quality decisions quicker.