In life and business I find that we are often faced with decisions that pit emotion against rationality. What I mean by this is that maybe your ego is telling you to do something. And maybe, as a matter of principle, you know with certainty that you're right. But when you take a step back and think about how that principled decision might play out, you realize that it is probably not the right life or business decision.

In the case of the real estate development business, you might realize that it is not the right decision for the project. And that's really the key question to be asking yourself in this business. What is most beneficial for the project? It is not about what's most beneficial for my ego.

Of course, taking emotion out of the equation can sometimes be difficult. Maybe you feel like you're losing if you give in and don't follow what you think is right. But the truth is that if emotion and rationality don't line up, then you're likely going to have to pick a side. And if you make a bad or the wrong business decision, then you're definitely losing, even if your ego might feel a little better.

A few days ago, Seth Godin published a terrific blog post called the rationality paradox. It’s not very long (like most of his posts) and I like it a lot (particularly the bold part), and so I’m reblogging it in full here:

If you see yourself as an engineer, a scientist, or even a person of logic, then it’s entirely possible that you work to make rational decisions, decisions that lead to the outcomes you seek.

The paradox is that you might also believe that you do this all the time, and that others do it too.

But a rational analysis shows that this is far from true. Almost every choice we make is subconscious. We’re glitch-ridden, superstitious creatures of habit. We are swayed by social forces that are almost always greater than our attraction to symbolic logic would indicate. We prioritize the urgent and most of the decisions we make don’t even feel like decisions. They’re mostly habits combined with a deep desire to go along with the people we identify with.

Every time you assume that others will be swayed by your logical argument, you’ve most likely made a significant, irrational mistake.

Your actions and your symbols and your tribe dwarf the words you use to make your argument.

In life and business I find that we are often faced with decisions that pit emotion against rationality. What I mean by this is that maybe your ego is telling you to do something. And maybe, as a matter of principle, you know with certainty that you're right. But when you take a step back and think about how that principled decision might play out, you realize that it is probably not the right life or business decision.

In the case of the real estate development business, you might realize that it is not the right decision for the project. And that's really the key question to be asking yourself in this business. What is most beneficial for the project? It is not about what's most beneficial for my ego.

Of course, taking emotion out of the equation can sometimes be difficult. Maybe you feel like you're losing if you give in and don't follow what you think is right. But the truth is that if emotion and rationality don't line up, then you're likely going to have to pick a side. And if you make a bad or the wrong business decision, then you're definitely losing, even if your ego might feel a little better.

A few days ago, Seth Godin published a terrific blog post called the rationality paradox. It’s not very long (like most of his posts) and I like it a lot (particularly the bold part), and so I’m reblogging it in full here:

If you see yourself as an engineer, a scientist, or even a person of logic, then it’s entirely possible that you work to make rational decisions, decisions that lead to the outcomes you seek.

The paradox is that you might also believe that you do this all the time, and that others do it too.

But a rational analysis shows that this is far from true. Almost every choice we make is subconscious. We’re glitch-ridden, superstitious creatures of habit. We are swayed by social forces that are almost always greater than our attraction to symbolic logic would indicate. We prioritize the urgent and most of the decisions we make don’t even feel like decisions. They’re mostly habits combined with a deep desire to go along with the people we identify with.

Every time you assume that others will be swayed by your logical argument, you’ve most likely made a significant, irrational mistake.

Your actions and your symbols and your tribe dwarf the words you use to make your argument.