Last post I talked about how author Henry Thompson provided definitions for two types of decisions we make: intuitive and rational. Our mind is still engaged in the decision-making process during an intuitive decision, but it goes through the process much quicker. Sometimes we have more time to process and get to the best decision.
The author uses the landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River as an illustration of this model to show that even in a high stress situation rational thought can be involved. There is a need to engage both the mind and the emotions during the process of a high stress decision making opportunity. Thompson describes these steps in his book The Stress Effect: Why Smart Leaders Make Dumb Decisions–And What to Do About It
- Stimulus – This is something either outside (birds have hit the plane, our sales have dropped) or inside the leader such as a thought about a situation (our team seems not to be functioning in a healthy manner).
- Perception – This is when you become more aware of the stimulus (“Oh no, birds just hit our plane”) or the leader sees some unhealthy communication among team members and more clearly perceives the problem. This is no longer intuition, but instead it becomes reality.
- Appraisal – This is the stage that engages both the mind and the emotions. In this stage the leader has to manage the emotions in such a manner that he or she can think logically about how to work through the situation. For example: The birds hit the plane and Captain Sullenberger consciously decided he needed to focus on flying the plane and not allow the emotion of fear to take over.
- Motivation – This provides the energy that leads to action. The plane has lost thrust in both engines and is going down or the team has begun fighting over minor issues and productivity has dropped which has led to the decline in sales.
- Action – This is what someone does because of the processing of the above steps. Captain Sollenberger states “We’re Gonna Brace” or as the leader of a team you say “we need to get together and discuss these issues immediately.”
Stimulus. Flight. Freeze. Cognitive. Perception. Appraisal. Motivation. Action. Emotional. Fight. Tend & befriend. Adapt. Perception-Appraisal-Motivation-Action (PAMA) Model. Thompson, H.L., 2005.
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If you have read this far you may be thinking “this theory is all good, but what does it mean for me?” Thompson found that both cognitive and emotional intelligence determine the success of decisions under stress. When you are under stress are you able to control your emotions enough to engage the rational side of your brain to assess the situation and choose a logical action as discussed above? If not, what practices can you implement to manage your emotions better to make effective decisions? Are you able to use your cognitive intelligence to assess a situation and solve complex problems? If that is a struggle what ways could you improve that skill in calm situations?
Stress happens to us all. I hope this has helped provide some clarity on how to work through complex problems in a simple manner. If you found this helpful, please share it with others and comment on strategies you implement to make effective decisions under stress. What helps you stay calm under stress and not allow your emotions to hijack your brain? Take five minutes to reflect on these questions to help you grow as a leader today.
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