Friday, November 22, 2019

Basketball: Hot Letters and Decision-Making


Emotional intelligence includes self-awareness and self-control. Some call that temperament. 

 Abraham Lincoln wrote what were called "hot letters."  Underperformance earned blistering written criticism; Lincoln put many of these letters aside and finished them with "Never sent. Never signed." Lincoln knew these letters could inflict irreversible damage. Writing them cooled his angst and allowed him to reevaluate his positions. 

President Obama used a similar approach, firing off angry letters...into the wastebasket. 

Another approach is the "24 hour rule." Delay and reconsider our position before sending an email or communication we might regret. 

In James Kerr's Legacy, he distinguishes between "red head" and "blue head." "Switch from ‘red head’ — tight-inhibited, result-oriented, anxious, aggressive, overcompensating, desperate; to ‘blue head’ — loose, expressive, at the moment, calm, clear, accurate, untasked." Stay in control. 

Decision by committee often produces inferior results, as good ideas die at the altar of senior management. GM CEO Alfred P. Sloan tabled discussions with too much consensus (above). Dissent has value in decision-making. 

When everyone agrees, we lack the best input. This applied to Lincoln and his Team of Rivals with Seward, Stanton, and Bates. This mattered to FDR with advisors like George C. Marshall who was unafraid to disagree with the President. "Marshall insisted on speaking “truth to power.”" This held for Barack Obama when Hilary Clinton was Secretary of State, with whom he frequently disagreed. 

Never sacrifice thinking for immediacy. 

 Lagniappe: Young players often underestimate the value of playing without the ball. 
A simple spread offense with brilliant backdoor cut and pass. We can't execute this...but we can practice and see what happens. 

Lagniappe 2:  
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