Why We Make Mistakes #2

How we Look w/out Seeing, Forget things in Seconds, & are all Pretty Sure we are Way Above Average !!!

from a book by Joseph Hallinan. Enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz 6/13

And why we often “make” Mistakes, when trying to “understand” Mistakes !!!

“Events learned in one emotional state are best remembered when we are back in that same state. Happy times, for instance, are best remembered when we’re happy.” (Page 117)

“We often think we’re being rational/ logical when we’re being instinctive & using our feelings and vice versa. When a mistake does happen, we often end up blaming the wrong cause.” (Page 211)

“Happy people tend to be more creative problem solvers. They also make decisions more quickly, with less back-&-forth wavering.” (Page 218)

Unconscious Mind. Many readers may not be aware of the neurological infra-structure of the decision-making process – notably the importance of what is generally referred to as the “unconscious mind.” That is what Hallinan means when noting that many decisions are made or at least significantly influenced “outside of our consciousness.” This fact helps to explain why most of us make mistakes when trying to understand why we make mistakes. Ironically, we demonstrate what we are trying to eliminate. As indicated by hundreds of citations throughout the book supplemented by extensive . . .

References & Bibliography section (Pages 225-237 and Pages 239-273), Hallinan has obviously absorbed & digested an abundance of research data from a wide range of resources. He fully achieves his objective to explain why people make mistakes of all kinds and suggests – especially in the concluding chapter – what can be done to prevent or correct them. He urges his readers to “Think small [because] little things, as the song says, mean a lot.” Also, be alert to the fact that “we don’t see all that we observe, and yet we sometimes ‘see’ things we don’t know we’ve seen.” Therefore, beware of seeing only what you expect to see, not “what is”. Certain biases such as over-confidence (ie, arrogance) are candidates for correction. On occasion, it also helps to think negatively when making a decision. “What could go wrong?” Hallinan also suggests we can become less error prone by letting our spouse, associate or mentor “proofread” our reasoning + by slowing down & sharpening the focus of our attention. “Multitasking is, for most of us, a mirage. There are strict limits to the number of things we can do at one time, and the more we do [or attempt to do], the greater the chance for error.”

Many who read this last paragraph may respond, “Well, duh, that’s just common sense.” As Joseph Hallinan convincingly establishes in this thoroughly entertaining as well as highly informative book, it would be a serious mistake to assume that common sense is “common”.

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