Simple Is the New Smart

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Firefighting and Emotion CommotionEmotional Intelligence in Action (EIA)

We live and work in a reactive world. It seems to me that more and more companies give out badges of honor to those who take action first and fast. What’s wrong with that? It creates a culture of firefighting, where people expect the “first answer” rather than the right answer. I’m all about moving forward fast, but not every time and not at the expense of strategy.

We are constantly reacting to headlines. Our reactive culture has even infiltrated the stock market. If you pay attention to headlines, you’ll see how in recent years they have been driving the markets. Oil spills, a crash, a callback, missing quarterly numbers—all of these headlines have driven stock prices ...