The Great Hunt - Chapter 36 [#100Days, Day 62]

Emotional Intelligence V: The Ogier

    "Be not so hasty Shienaran.  You humans never take time for thought.  Only decisions reached in calm can be sure."
Alar, The Great Hunt, p. 434

    Alar is spot on - emotional responses are unpredictable.  They may work, they may not.  Taking time, even a brief moment, to think things through* pays dividends.  The number of decisions that absolutely must be made right this second is vanishingly small.  The only set of circumstances that really comes to mind would be when lives hang in the balance - in those situations, however, training should be overriding the strategic thought processes so that immediate actions are taken immediately.  Taking a pause is an effective way to decouple the emotion from the response.  It provides a moment to ask a question - a single question can draw out more information from which to base the decision.  Information that was available but not readily provided.  Decoupling the emotion from the response also ensures that the leader remains approachable.  The team won't feel pressured to "wait until the boss is in a good mood" to bring decisions forward.  This keeps decisions being made within the timeframe where they are most actionable, instead of compounding delays driving away from action.

*Or even to daydream and carry out the emotional response in your head