rational

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I recently heard someone say that no one gets fired for being rational, they get fired for being creative. Does this mean that a rational decision comes with an insurance policy attached, as it’s safe, predictable, and easy to justify. I think that’s why it’s easier to sell to rational decision-makers: you can show them numbers, even if the advice itself isn’t all that good. In a world where we can connect with anyone, anywhere what’s really stopping you from surrounding yourself with people who are interesting, generous, and kind?

““The question is not what you look at, but what you see.””
— Henry David Thoreau

We deserve your money

The majority of management is about rational planning of things that are entirely in their control. The obsession with planning, quantification and rationalisation arguments means that we are automatically constrained to doing those things which makes sense in advance. It’s not safe to assume that the incentives and interests of individual employees are necessarily well aligned with the interests of the organisation. I think in reality, what your business depends on are citizens whose behaviour can only be influenced obliquely, they can’t be controlled - in other words you can’t tell your customers what to buy.

Stories speak to emotions

We all know that there are two sides of the brain, the rational and the feelings/emotional side. In almost all kinds of decisions the emotional side of the brain is predominant, and stories speak to emotions. Nowadays when we are inundated with data and information it’s even more important that we focus on stories. You can speak about numbers, data and facts and leverage that in your storytelling, as the narrative helps us make sense of that data. I think that when we speak to people’s emotions it gathers and results in a higher response. Watch this video and see how changing the message will change the results.