DECISIONS, decisions, decisions. It seems like every minute of every day some form of decision has to be made. From what type of coffee to buy (getting close to degree level complexity) to where to go on holiday or where to invest your savings. Many are done subconsciously and allow us to get on with life, however many others require conscious effort.
At work, in particular, a lot of your decisions are those conscious ones and will have real consequences. They also typically need to be made quickly, as so many other dependencies rest on them.
So given we make decisions all the time a little help is always appreciated.
That’s where ‘Razors’ come in. These are (cooler sounding) rules of thumb that we can follow to help simplify the decisions we need to make. We effectively shave off the unlikely, the improbable or the unnecessary and get to the right path as quickly as possible. They are hacks that help us (more quickly and consistently) make the right choice, the correct decision, in less time.
Occam’s Razor - Probably the most famous of all Razors. When deciding what to believe this posits that the simplest explanation is more often the correct one. When you open the kitchen door and there are cornflakes over the floor, milk on the carpet and jam in the dog’s fur: do you believe your little boy, who says that it was his sister, who you personally dropped off at school two hours ago, but who apparently escaped, walked two miles, came back to quickly make a mess and then left again? Or do you think maybe it was the wee fella himself who did it and has invented a story? In work, simplicity can be key. Maybe you are selling a product or service. Do you think of what the customer really values and whether the extras you are considering are truly necessary? If you are delivering a lecture on updates to the national minimum wage, do you really need to talk about the evolution of employment law?
Feynman Razor - This echoes a quote often attributed to Einstein; “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it”. So, if you really do know what you are talking about then you should be able to easily explain things in simple terms. If you use jargon, unnecessary abbreviations or complex, industry-specific language people may suspect you are covering over a lack of genuine understanding. Think of this when doing a presentation to those outside your department.
Luck Razor - Put yourself in a position or situation where ‘luck’ is most likely to happen. Going out and engage with people, attending events, trying something new, educating yourself will increase your chance of ‘luck’ happening more than sitting at home watching reality TV. As Arnold Palmer, the golfer famously said; ‘The more I practice, the luckier I get’. In work, try to educate yourself on other departments and processes, meet new people, take an interest.
The Optimist Razor - If you have a choice of spending time with an optimist or a pessimist; chose the optimist. They will look for solutions, they will keep your spirits up, they will help create drive and positive attitude. There is a time and place for critical thinking and challenge, where pessimists can be useful, but by and large the balance should be toward optimism.
Gratitude Razor - If in doubt, default to more, rather than less, gratitude when someone has helped you out. They are more likely to help you again, even though they make think you have overdone it a bit, than if they think you have not appreciated them at all. Unexpected gratitude (hey, you’re doing a great job) can also be very powerful.
Grice’s Razor - Focus more on what someone means to say rather than what they actually say. Sometimes folks say the wrong words, get tongue-tied or mixed up. Sometimes even honeyed words can hide poisoned intent. Looks beyond the syntax and concentrate on the situation, the intent and the context. Look for what is really being communicated.
Sagan Standard (also a Razor) - The more extraordinary the claim, the more proof required. If someone in work tells you that there is new coffee bean blend in the kitchen, you’ll most likely take them at face value. If they say the coffee machine is now AI enabled and will predict what you need weeks in advance, you’ll probably want much more evidence.
Rooms Razor - Don’t pick the room (meeting, conference, lecture etc) where you will be the smartest person there. It’s great for ego, but not so great for educating, growing, learning and developing. Where you don’t need to be the expert, take the opportunity to hear from, mix with and learn from smarter people.
Listening Razor - Where you encounter other with different views, or new information then choose to listen more than you speak. Often when you don’t actively listen you are really just preparing responses and questions in your head for when you next get to open your mouth and this can cause you to miss the nuances of what the other person is saying. ‘Two ears, one mouth for a reason’ is an old adage, but very true.
Jean-Paul Sartre is quoted as saying “We are our choices”. Hopefully these Razors will help you make the right ones.
:: Barry Shannon is head of HR at STATSports
