Sheena Lyengar’s presentation The Art of Choosing made three assumptions of making choices. The
first assumption states that choice is revolved around the individual,
therefore all choices are made by ourselves. Lygenar also called this
assumption “being true to yourself” (Lyengar, 2010) . This assumption in my opinion is not entirely true. It is true that
we do make our decisions in leadership, however effective choices are made by
the support of the followers’
preferences and ideas. People are what make leadership possible and since they’re an
essential source, it is important for leaders to reach their needs and wants as
much as possible. My opinion is connected to my current position as an academic
advisor. The goal is to help students with their
plan and my choices needs to be relevant to help these student. For example, I make
one year degree maps (my recommended list of courses) to every student. If I
cannot get in contact with the student who needs an annual revision, I usually
make a default map based entirely on my choices. When I do get in contact with
the student (and usually after they got the revision) however, the choices I make
is based on their preferences, hence resulting a more effective degree map.
Lyengar’s second assumption states that more choices will
lead to better choices. Personally, I believe this second assumption is true,
but I see her assumption more as a fancy phrase for system of thinking. By definition,
system of thinking is a method of critical thinking where ones analyze the
relationships between the system’s parts in order to understand a situation for
better decision-making (Grimsley, n.d.) . In the systems of thinking, we have a main idea or goal and
branch out into details to understand the situation better. Coming back to the degree map example, the goal is to make an
effective annual route for the student to take so he or she can successfully
complete their degree. Though making my own choices may help lead the student, my maps will be much more effective when I implement the student’s preferences (choices). When
making the map by default, I usually make a schedule of a full time student and
consider the classes the students require and place them on the map. When I get
a hold of the student, they provide me much more information- such as how many
classes per term they wish to take, as well as what times and form of classes they
prefer. These preferences are additional “branches” that help me understand what works for them, which
will result in a much more effective route.
The
third assumption Lyengar made was to never say no to
choice. This statement in my opinion is true since choice is what leads ones
further. It’s similar to how assumptions
work. Assumption is defined as a claim or guess as is one of the eight elements
of reasoning. It serves as a starting point to critical thinking (Noisch,
2012). Saying no to choice can either completely halt someone from moving on or
can cause complications to whatever outcome ones are hoping to get. This can be
seen if I were to not to consider the student’s preferences in degree mapping.
Though there are other resources students use to see what classes they need to
take for their degree, some students are highly dependent on my degree maps
because of the details. If I were to not implement their preferences for those
students, they will probably constantly ask me for assistance, become
frustrated with me or the university and may even corrupt their route to
success.
In conclusion,
choices are very essential in leadership. Though Lyengar stated that choices are made independently, it is
important to consider other’s ideas and preferences in leadership. People are
what make leadership possible so it is critical to consider their needs and
wants as much as possible. Doing so will then lead to more choices, which can open
up to more opportunities to enhance our leadership. Lastly, choices must be
made to move on. Not doing so will result in complications to a complete halt
in our leading which can ruin ones image.
Sources
Grimsley, S. (n.d.). Systems Thinking in
Management: Definition, Theory & Model. Retrieved from
http://study.com/academy/lesson/systems-thinking-in-management-definition-theory-model.html
Lyengar, S. (Director). (2010). The art of
choosing [Motion Picture].
Noisch, G. (2012). Learning To Think Things
Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum. Boston:
Pearson Education.
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