Predictably Irrational (Eric Dodge)

I work for the research department at a biotechnology company, so I am always dealing with science-based work and discussions, which are very rational. But at the same time the way that we decide to attack a given situation could be considered irrational by a lot of people. This makes my job very interesting because you have to understand the science and be able to apply that knowledge to determine a rational plan of action. Sometimes I feel like some of my superiors do not do a very good job of this.

This may be a case of the leaders having a plan that is predictably irrational, but they are unable to convince everyone that it is a good idea because it is not rational. I have had a number of conversations with leaders at my company where they explain their predictably irrational ideas to me, trying to convince me that it is "the obvious answer." These conversations are fun for me because I can tell that their ideas make perfect sense in their head, but they are unable to get others to feel the same way. They have not figured out a way to explain and defend their ideas in a way that will help them to gain support. This is one of the hardest parts of being a leader, and one that I hope to become better at. As a leader it is very important to be able to explain your ideas to others so that they will support you and your plans.

I cannot think of a specific time when someone presented information in a way that substantially influenced my decision-making. I am usually pretty good at weighing the facts and making an informed decision, rather than being swayed by the way someone presents an idea. I like to know both sides of an argument before I make a decision. But I know that there are a lot of people that are easily influenced by the way that something is presented. This means that it is important to learn to use these tactics to your advantage. I need to get better at learning how to present information in ways that will significantly influence decision making. People that are good at this can gain a lot of support based solely on this.