PRODUCTHEAD is a regular newsletter of product management goodness,
curated by Jock Busuttil.
palo product #
every PRODUCTHEAD edition is online for you to refer back to
tl;dr
We have 4 behavioural defaults: emotion, ego, social and inertia
hello
A good many of you are enjoying some kind of break from work, so I’ll keep this week’s PRODUCTHEAD brief. While lazing around in a scorched field somewhere in the south of England, I’ve been reading Shane Parrish’s book Clear Thinking. Shane is behind the Farnham Street blog and the long-running podcast The Knowledge Project.
In his book he describes four ways we tend to react by default. He calls these the emotion, ego, social and inertia defaults.
The emotion default is when we respond to feelings rather than reasons and facts. It’s typically triggered when we’re physiologically stressed, or feel emotionally ‘cornered’ (insulted, threatened, embarrassed). If you’re prone to snapping at people when you’re hungry, this is an example of the emotion default at work. A good counter when you’re feeling like this is to pause – even if it’s just taking a deep breath in the moment – before choosing how to respond.
The ego default is when we’re protective of our self-image and social standing. If an idea threatens how we see ourselves or we feel that we’ve lost face, we default to defensiveness. If you’ve ever found yourself concerned more with ‘being right’ than ‘doing the right thing’, this is your ego default at play. Often this boils down to the limitations of your perspective, so bringing in alternative evidence and forcing yourself to evaluate opposing points of view can get you out of defensive mode.
The social default is the pressure to conform to the group. We often go along with what everyone else believes or does, even when we privately doubt it, because alignment can feel safer and easier than choosing to do our own thing. A good counter to group-think is to write down your views on a topic privately before engaging with the discussion.
Lastly the inertia default is when we stick with what’s familiar and comfortable. We keep doing what we’ve been doing even when change would be better. I’ve definitely stayed in a job I wasn’t enjoying for longer than I should have simply because the thought of resigning was overwhelming. Planning and breaking down the big change into smaller ones can definitely help here.
While none of these ideas is particularly novel, I do like how Shane distils our default modes of reaction to these 4 main groups. He uses these as a foundation for the rest of the book that offers analysis and approaches to thinking more clearly and taking better decisions, more effectively.
If you’re looking for something worthwhile to read without it being too mentally taxing, have a read of Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish.
Speak to you soon,
Jock
what to think about this week
Clear Thinking
We all face thousands of decisions every day. They define the trajectory of our lives. There’s just one problem: most of us have no idea how to make them.
Here, Shane Parrish – ‘the former spy who helps Wall Street mavens think smarter’ (New York Times) – draws upon conversations with the world’s leading entrepreneurs and experts to offer a simple, revolutionary method to clear your head and make better decisions. It will help you unlock the life you seek.
The art and science of making better decisons
[Shane Parrish / Penguin Books]
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PRODUCTHEAD is a newsletter for product people of all varieties, and is lovingly crafted from a school bus in a field.