Split second decisions

I recently had an interview and was asked to tell about the best decision and worst decision I've made, and the process I used to make the respective decisions. After the interview, I had this introspective moment where I had to wonder whether I would have answered the question differently if I hadn't just started listening to Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. The decisions I chose were both decisions made more intuitively, rather than reasoning through them, and parts of those decisions may or may not have been based on what Gladwell would term "rapid cognition." Which just so happens to be the topic of the book.

I've read Gladwell's stuff before and I've really liked the insights he gives. There's a certain logic to them, and I've seen his conclusions ring true. So, I was pretty confident I'd like Blink, and I was right. Lots of insights, and it kind of gives me a bit of ammo for when I feel like I have to justify some of my decision making processes or past decisions. He also explores the pros and cons of rapid cognition, how it can be a good thing, but the traps we need to watch out for. He doesn't give a checklist or anything for how to make it work--it's not a self-help book--but he does provide a lot of examples of how this can apply. I think basically, Gladwell's works give the reader a foundation. I come away from reading his stuff feeling like I know more, and because I know more, I'm more aware of my behavior and how it might be affecting me and others, and that in turn helps me modify the parts of my behavior that I feel could improve. So much better than having someone try to tell you how you should be.

So, no. I haven't really told you much about rapid cognition, or given examples or even a good synopsis of Blink. If I did that, you wouldn't have to read it, and he tells it way better than I do. I will say, if you are looking for some good non-fiction, Gladwell is a good author to check out, and Blink would be as good a place to start as any. But you might want to be careful about reading it in conjunction with an interview.*

*I will say, the interview went well--they asked for another one, so it would seem that despite my intuitive decision making, they liked me.