Chapter 4

Posted on 07/14/2011 by

 

Chapter 4

 

There
Are Many Ways to Make Decisions

Everyone knows what smart
is, right?  Well, I’m not so sure that
“smart” is all that easy to define.

Take the example of a good
friend of mine, Tweedle Dum. (Does that make me Tweedle Dee?–your guess.) He
came from a lower-middle class family. His school grades were average to poor,
certainly never good enough to make it on any honor list.  He went to work right out of High School; I’m
guessing that he never even thought of going to college. He eventually went to
work for a couple he knew who owned a couple of struggling businesses. They
became friends and took him under their wing so to speak, involving him in
several different enterprises requiring him to work many 12-16-hour days.  Along the way, he piled up debt buying real
estate and other “stuff”. The last time Tweedle Dum and I got together, I
learned that Tweedle Dum is…doing quite well for himself.  This story certainly raises the question, “if
Tweedle is not smart, how come he’s so successful?”  Tweedle Dum certainly wasn’t a scholar and
didn’t score well on tests, the commonly accepted standard for being “smart”.
Obviously Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum can be “smart” in one way but underperform
in others. Hmmmm….there must be different “types” of smart!  How then do we use the different types of
“smart” when making decisions?

Objectives
in Understanding “Smart”

I have tried to think through what qualities (in plain English) might be needed
in order to explain what being “smart” is.

These are what I have come up with:

Smart
is Understanding that solving   problems requires a strategy or plan.

Smart
is:Recognizing that “common  sense” is really practiced decision-making.

Smart
is:Recognizing that the decisions one makes involves trade-offs.

Smart
is:Understanding that making decisions are part of everyone’s life.

 Skills Needed to Make “Smart” Decisions Are:

  • Listening
  • Asking Questions
  • Comparing Ideas
  • Drawing Conclusions

 Do you recognize any of
the above “smarts” as contributing to or playing a part in Tweedle Dum’s
success?

About Stuart

Previously I was a Business Operations professional working for various companies for the past 30 yeas or so. I have always had a keen interest in history, philosophy, spirituality and religion. This is my first blog/website attempt, and contains information I have gleaned from the many presentations, articles, business literature and presentations, books, magazines and personal conversations I have been exposed to on those many many subjects. With a renewed commitment to writing as a serious career, my goal is in getting my work published and recognized by a wider audience. You can leave comments at my website at http://reflexionssite.com/ or e-mail me at stko98@hotmail.com.
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