Career Advice: Why Do People Make Bad Decisions?
Ramon Greenwood asked:
By
Ramon Greenwood
Common Sense Career Advice
It is wise to spend some time examining the question as to why people make bad decisions because there’s an inescapable correlation between the quality of one’s decisions at work and the total of one’s career success.
“Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How To Keep It From Happening To You”, a new book co-authored by Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, provides some keen insight on the issue.
Mr. Finkelstein and his co-authors studied research in neuroscience and psychology and concluded there are four reasons good managers make bad decisions.
1. They tend to rely on past experiences. Situations seldom are exactly like what’s happened in the past.
2. Decisions are driven by self-interest. That force is always at work even when it is not recognized.
3. Decisions are based on judgment made before all the facts are available and sticking with them even when later findings indicate a chance of course.
4. Decisions are strongly influenced by attachments to people, places or things that managers are reluctant to change or give up.
The reader of this book will be made aware of steps managers can take to avoid making bad decisions along their career path.
One is to be aware that there is no such thing as complete objectivity. Managers can shift in favor of making good decisions by recognizing biases and guarding against them.
Another step that will help assure good decisions is to avoid the trap of the yes man syndrome by encouraging open debate by people who have differences of opinion.
Other career coaches teach that bad decisions are made because the right questions are not asked in the process. Another obstacle is that more information is assembled than is needed. Fact gathering is confused with decision-making. This often occurs because no one wants to step up and make a decision.
A contributing factor to bad decisions is that the wrong mode has been employed in the process.
Decisions are usually made in one of three ways, each of which can lead to a sound conclusion if used in the proper context.
1. An immediate decision is required so the person in charge “commands”.
2. Time permits assimilating opinions and reaching a decision.
3. Arriving at a consensus so as to help assure support by those who participated in the decision.
The key is to make sure the correct mode is put to work.
Each decision carries with it some degree of risk as well as reward. Traveling a career path to success requires the courage and ability to make good decisions. To be a good manager one doesn’t have to be right all of the time, just most of the time to reach his career goals.
Life Extension Vitamins
By
Ramon Greenwood
Common Sense Career Advice
It is wise to spend some time examining the question as to why people make bad decisions because there’s an inescapable correlation between the quality of one’s decisions at work and the total of one’s career success.
“Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How To Keep It From Happening To You”, a new book co-authored by Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, provides some keen insight on the issue.
Mr. Finkelstein and his co-authors studied research in neuroscience and psychology and concluded there are four reasons good managers make bad decisions.
1. They tend to rely on past experiences. Situations seldom are exactly like what’s happened in the past.
2. Decisions are driven by self-interest. That force is always at work even when it is not recognized.
3. Decisions are based on judgment made before all the facts are available and sticking with them even when later findings indicate a chance of course.
4. Decisions are strongly influenced by attachments to people, places or things that managers are reluctant to change or give up.
The reader of this book will be made aware of steps managers can take to avoid making bad decisions along their career path.
One is to be aware that there is no such thing as complete objectivity. Managers can shift in favor of making good decisions by recognizing biases and guarding against them.
Another step that will help assure good decisions is to avoid the trap of the yes man syndrome by encouraging open debate by people who have differences of opinion.
Other career coaches teach that bad decisions are made because the right questions are not asked in the process. Another obstacle is that more information is assembled than is needed. Fact gathering is confused with decision-making. This often occurs because no one wants to step up and make a decision.
A contributing factor to bad decisions is that the wrong mode has been employed in the process.
Decisions are usually made in one of three ways, each of which can lead to a sound conclusion if used in the proper context.
1. An immediate decision is required so the person in charge “commands”.
2. Time permits assimilating opinions and reaching a decision.
3. Arriving at a consensus so as to help assure support by those who participated in the decision.
The key is to make sure the correct mode is put to work.
Each decision carries with it some degree of risk as well as reward. Traveling a career path to success requires the courage and ability to make good decisions. To be a good manager one doesn’t have to be right all of the time, just most of the time to reach his career goals.
Life Extension Vitamins
Psychology Careers – A Wide Open Field
Cecily Kellogg asked:
It’s an age-old question-why do people do what they do? The scientific study of that question is psychology. This field is fairly young-only about 125 years old-and has already had nearly as many schools of thought as there have been psychologists. Psychology concerns itself with both the biology and the sociology of human behavior, and studies both human and non-human animals.
Many psychologists are researchers, and many others are practicing clinicians. But there is literally no limit to how the study psychology can be utilized in the workforce. For instance, three of the ten “hot” jobs for 2007 utilize a degree in psychology:
• School Psychologist. With the latest federal education legislation, a retiring workforce, and an increased focus on children’s mental heath, school psychologists are desperately needed across the country. In fact, colleges with programs to train school psychologists cannot keep up with the demand. A typical program consists of two years of graduate courses and a one-year internship. Students from these programs, however, have no problem getting jobs and usually find their work extremely rewarding. Many school psychologists feel that they have an opportunity to tackle society’s problems early on, making them feel deep satisfaction in their work.
• Genetics Counselor. These health professionals are trained to help families understand genetic disorders and to provide information and support to those families. They may also serve as patient advocates by referring individuals or families to local services that can be of assistance. Genetic research is a powerful tool for treating medical conditions, but it is still a new tool. Many people whose families are affected by genetics disorders don’t understand how it will affect their lives. Even genetic researchers and doctors don’t fully understand how genes cause all genetic disorders. Genetic counselors work with doctors and families to help families get the information they need to understand the disorder. While genetics counselors often require a Masters degree in genetics, a Bachelors degree in psychology is preferred.
• Animal-Assisted Therapist. This new hot therapy field is a type of therapy that involves using pets to help treat patients. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide education and motivation. AAT is provided on both an individual or group basis. Many kinds of animals are used in therapy, including dogs, cats, birds, dolphins, rabbits, lizards, and other small animals (although AAT with horses is known as equine-assisted therapy or therapeutic horseback riding).
But there are many other fascinating careers available to anyone holding a psychology degree. There are a variety of different jobs available to therapists-being a clinical psychologist, a cognitive psychologist, or working as counselors. Here are just a few of the more unusual careers available according to the American Psychological Association:
• Engineering psychologists conduct research on how people work best with machines. For example, how can a computer be designed to prevent fatigue and eye strain? What arrangement of an assembly line makes production most efficient? What is a reasonable workload? Most engineering psychologists work in industry.
• Evolutionary psychologists study how evolutionary principles such as mutation, adaptation, and selective fitness influence human thought, feeling, and behavior. Because of their focus on genetically shaped behaviors that influence an organism’s chances of survival, evolutionary psychologists study mating, aggression, helping behavior, and communication. Evolutionary psychologists are becoming increasingly interested in aging, especially in researching and problems of evolution.
• Forensic psychologists apply psychological principles to legal issues. Their expertise is often essential in court. They can, for example, help a judge decide which parent should have custody of a child or evaluate a defendant’s mental competence to stand trial. Forensic psychologists also conduct research on jury behavior or eyewitness testimony. Some forensic psychologists are trained in both psychology and the law.
• Sports psychologists help athletes refine their focus on competition and winning. They help athletes become more motivated and learn to deal with the anxiety and fear of failure that can often come with sports. This field is becoming more and more popular as sports become more competitive and attracts younger children.
Job and Salary Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual earnings of clinical, counseling, and school psychologists is $54,950. The earnings of psychologists working in other areas are:
•Offices of other health practitioners $64,460
•Elementary and secondary schools $58,360
•Outpatient care centers $46,850
•Individual and family services $42,640
•Industrial-organization psychologists $71,400
The need for those with a psychology degree is expected to grow faster than average over the next decade, thanks to the continued growth of the field. Luckily, because the field is so diverse, almost anyone can find something fascinating to do with their psychology degree!
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It’s an age-old question-why do people do what they do? The scientific study of that question is psychology. This field is fairly young-only about 125 years old-and has already had nearly as many schools of thought as there have been psychologists. Psychology concerns itself with both the biology and the sociology of human behavior, and studies both human and non-human animals.
Many psychologists are researchers, and many others are practicing clinicians. But there is literally no limit to how the study psychology can be utilized in the workforce. For instance, three of the ten “hot” jobs for 2007 utilize a degree in psychology:
• School Psychologist. With the latest federal education legislation, a retiring workforce, and an increased focus on children’s mental heath, school psychologists are desperately needed across the country. In fact, colleges with programs to train school psychologists cannot keep up with the demand. A typical program consists of two years of graduate courses and a one-year internship. Students from these programs, however, have no problem getting jobs and usually find their work extremely rewarding. Many school psychologists feel that they have an opportunity to tackle society’s problems early on, making them feel deep satisfaction in their work.
• Genetics Counselor. These health professionals are trained to help families understand genetic disorders and to provide information and support to those families. They may also serve as patient advocates by referring individuals or families to local services that can be of assistance. Genetic research is a powerful tool for treating medical conditions, but it is still a new tool. Many people whose families are affected by genetics disorders don’t understand how it will affect their lives. Even genetic researchers and doctors don’t fully understand how genes cause all genetic disorders. Genetic counselors work with doctors and families to help families get the information they need to understand the disorder. While genetics counselors often require a Masters degree in genetics, a Bachelors degree in psychology is preferred.
• Animal-Assisted Therapist. This new hot therapy field is a type of therapy that involves using pets to help treat patients. Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide education and motivation. AAT is provided on both an individual or group basis. Many kinds of animals are used in therapy, including dogs, cats, birds, dolphins, rabbits, lizards, and other small animals (although AAT with horses is known as equine-assisted therapy or therapeutic horseback riding).
But there are many other fascinating careers available to anyone holding a psychology degree. There are a variety of different jobs available to therapists-being a clinical psychologist, a cognitive psychologist, or working as counselors. Here are just a few of the more unusual careers available according to the American Psychological Association:
• Engineering psychologists conduct research on how people work best with machines. For example, how can a computer be designed to prevent fatigue and eye strain? What arrangement of an assembly line makes production most efficient? What is a reasonable workload? Most engineering psychologists work in industry.
• Evolutionary psychologists study how evolutionary principles such as mutation, adaptation, and selective fitness influence human thought, feeling, and behavior. Because of their focus on genetically shaped behaviors that influence an organism’s chances of survival, evolutionary psychologists study mating, aggression, helping behavior, and communication. Evolutionary psychologists are becoming increasingly interested in aging, especially in researching and problems of evolution.
• Forensic psychologists apply psychological principles to legal issues. Their expertise is often essential in court. They can, for example, help a judge decide which parent should have custody of a child or evaluate a defendant’s mental competence to stand trial. Forensic psychologists also conduct research on jury behavior or eyewitness testimony. Some forensic psychologists are trained in both psychology and the law.
• Sports psychologists help athletes refine their focus on competition and winning. They help athletes become more motivated and learn to deal with the anxiety and fear of failure that can often come with sports. This field is becoming more and more popular as sports become more competitive and attracts younger children.
Job and Salary Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual earnings of clinical, counseling, and school psychologists is $54,950. The earnings of psychologists working in other areas are:
•Offices of other health practitioners $64,460
•Elementary and secondary schools $58,360
•Outpatient care centers $46,850
•Individual and family services $42,640
•Industrial-organization psychologists $71,400
The need for those with a psychology degree is expected to grow faster than average over the next decade, thanks to the continued growth of the field. Luckily, because the field is so diverse, almost anyone can find something fascinating to do with their psychology degree!
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Louise Gane M.S. – Living with Fragile X
livingwithfragilex asked:
Louise Gane MS (UC Davis) discusses the role of a genetic counselor. Louise is featured in the documentary “Living with Fragile X”. … genetic counselor fragilex fx dna child autism asperger mind institute brain support retarded disorder syndrome behavio
Genetic Counselor
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