Decision-making and business acumen
Robin Helweg-Larsen
Published Date
An engaging little conversation between Barack Obama and British Opposition leader David Cameron was caught on tape and distributed by the Associated Press:
Senator Obama says "... actually the most important thing you need to do is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking." and it got me thinking about 'taking time to think'.
Time to Think
There are actually two kinds of “taking time to think”, at least in our Income|Outcome business simulation.
The first kind is demonstrated by looking at the difference between:
- Three decision-making rounds in Better Business Decisions which is completed in 4 hours
- Four rounds spread out over 8 hours in Finance For Everyone, with planning and analysis interspersed
Obviously, the longer format offers the opportunity to ‘take time to think’.
The second kind of ‘thinking time’ is demonstrated by comparing:
- Running a business simulation for 8 hours straight (e.g., 8:00 AM–5:00 PM with lunch)
- Running the same simulation over:
- One afternoon (1:00 PM–5:00 PM)
- The following morning (8:00 AM–12:00 PM)
This overnight break allows for active (or passive) reflection and absorption.
The Obama-Cameron conversation is almost about using the first-type structure to achieve the second-type review.
What do you think?
(Also, I think I understand Cameron more as a result of this conversation—he’s clear and crisp, businesslike, friendly enough, competent, but not particularly deep, wide-ranging, or speculative.)
