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CAREER CORNER
Decision-making can suffer under stress [By Michael Kinsman] Golfer Phil Mickelson is a risk-taker and never was that more evident than when he had a meltdown on the final Sunday of the 2006 U.S. Open.
On the final hole, Mickelson could have
be much more intense than any external
She questions whether it would have been
played it safe and won, but instead made
pressures.”
wise for Mickelson to abandon the decisionmaking process that got him to the brink of a
reckless decisions that wound up costing him the championship he’d dreamed of winning
Extreme pressure can cause individuals to
since he was a child.
freeze. Unable to see clearly, they may revert
“I was watching, and I had empathy for
major golf championship.
to past behaviors. Those behaviors can often
“Everybody gets to have a bad day,” he said.
be counterproductive.
“Mickelson had one of those bad days. But the decisions he made got him to that point.
him,” said Garry Ridge, president and chief executive officer of WD-40 Co. “You could see
Ridge thinks that there is an issue of being
Maybe it wasn’t right for him to change his
the pain in his eyes.”
self-aware that everyone needs. Making an
course then. Maybe those same decisions
honest assessment of your actions, your
have worked for him before.”
Mickelson’s unexplainable actions under
talents and your judgment is essential for
stress mirror some of the same things
you to adopt new behaviors.
Ridge, an Australian, said he felt constrained
“That’s one of the reasons I like the TV
relocated to the United States in 1994 to
character Columbo,” he said. “I love the way
direct the international sales of WD-40.
to a certain management style until he
done outside of public view every day in the workplace and in executive suites. Decision-making is as much an art as a
he goes around asking more questions and
science. What works for one individual
questioning more answers. It really forces
“There was something about that that gave
might not work for another, experts say,
you to get down to the core issue.
me permission not to know certain things,”
although understanding yourself and being
he said. “At that point, I was able to say ‘I
comfortable with the process seem essential
“But most of us don’t take the time to do
to making the right decisions.
that. Sometimes, it’s just because we never
don’t know’ and not feel stupid.”
make the effort, and other times our ego gets
That liberation, he said, helped him make
“Often, high-risk personalities push beyond
in the way. But I think you have to do that if
some personal changes.
what most of us think is rational,” said Nancy
you expect to change past behaviors.”
Helgeson, a career coach and psychologist.
Ridge said his style was to “Be brief. Be
“They may find themselves under pressure
Leslie Groene, a corporate coach and author
bright. And, be gone.” He discovered that
and unable to do what everyone else thinks is
of the book “Picture Yourself & the Life
while the process worked for him, he wasn’t
the rational thing to do. It doesn’t just happen
You Want” (Tiger Publications; $20), says
allowing other individuals to share their
in sports. It’s true for people in the business
changing behavior is a difficult process for
thoughts before decisions were made.
world every day.”
anyone and sometimes nearly impossible.
He made a concerted effort to make sure
Helgeson said decision-making can suffer
“I’ve seen businesses where everyone knew
under stress.
they needed to change to survive, except for
everyone got to share their ideas and found himself better off for it.
the owner of the business,” she said. “If the
“I found out that I had access to greater
“I see the pressures the business world
management doesn’t want to change and
information than I’d had before,” he said.
puts on managers, and it just seems to get
doesn’t see a need to change, there’s no way
“It was very hard to reach that point, but it
worse and worse,” she said. “But the internal
you can convince them to change.”
certainly has made me more effective as a
pressures people put on themselves can
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leader.”