Author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

Psychologists call this ‘integrative thinking’. 

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Author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

Psychologists call this ‘integrative thinking’. 

Integrative thinking is the ability to constructively face the conflict of opposing ideas and, instead of choosing one over the other, generate a new idea that contains elements of the opposing ideas but is superior to each.

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­­Author Steven Johnson recently discussed his book Farsighted: How We Make Decisions that Matter the Most in a podcast discussion with Malcolm Gladwell. In the interview, Gladwell asks Johnson if the decision-making strategies described in his book can apply to something like deciding what college you should go to.

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Author Steven Johnson recently discussed his book Farsighted: How We Make Decisions that Matter the Most in a podcast discussion with Malcolm Gladwell. In the interview, Gladwell asks Johnson if the decision-making strategies d escribed in his book can apply to something like choosing your career. Johnson acknowledged that there is a huge amount of uncertainty in any decision with long-term consequences.

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It’s a 3 step process to identify the best way to move our career forward.

• In step 1 (our first coaching session), we discussed the ‘key ingredients’ of the right work for you.
• In the second step (our 2nd coaching session) we recapped the key ingredients of the work for you, and we discussed alternate job ideas.
• The 3rd step of the clarity coaching program is to research the job and career ideas to identify the best work for you.

2nd Clarity Session Recording

Many of my clients have found it very useful to listen to the recording of their 2nd clarity coaching session when they consider and evaluate the alternate job and career ideas we discussed.

I recommend downloading that recording so you’ll always it. (Once you open the video, there will be an option on the top right side of the page to download it).

Overview of Resources (all of which are described in more detail below):

• The Job Summary Profiles for the work ideas we discussed
• A document that explains each field on the Job Summary Profiles
• An Idea Assessment Summary Sheet that you can use to keep a record of your research and evaluate the different possibilities

Job Summary Profiles

The Job Summary Profiles you received in your 2nd Clarity Coaching Session include ‘General Job Search Phrases’ you can use to research the ideas we discussed.  Because different companies use different titles for the same type of job, you’ll notice many Job Summary Profiles list several “General Job Search Phrases’ that you can use to conduct your research. Please be sure to read the ‘Explanation of Fields on Job Summary Profiles‘ report for more information.

You’ll notice that I’ve ‘coded’ the General Job Search phrases in simple Boolean language to help you get more relevant search results.  Coding these titles is not an exact science and you’ll want to test each of the phrases I’ve provided to see which ones solicit roles that could appeal to you.

I recommend copying and pasting one General Job Search phrase (exactly as I’ve typed it) into the ‘What’ box on Indeed.com.  (While you can use any job board to search for a job, I recommend doing your research on Indeed.com because it is very responsive to Boolean search phrases).

I typically recommend skimming 20 to 25 job advertisements for each type of position you research to see if it might appeal to you.  Here’s why you need to examine this many: 80% of companies might use a given job title for a set of responsibilities that don’t appeal to you, but 20% of companies might use that same title for a set of responsibilities that DO appeal to you.

To find the best work option for you, you’ll want to do the legwork of looking through enough job advertisements for each title to determine if some companies use the title in a way that could be a good match for your skills, interests, motivations, etc.

The General Job Search Phrase Modifier Strategies report shows you how to modify the General Job Search phrases to find:

• Roles that require different levels of experience –  you can use these strategies to look at both more senior roles (e.g. where you could be a few years from now – so you can see if the career path looks appealing), as well as more immediate target roles that match your level of experience
• Roles in industries that appeal to you
• Roles that leverage your current skillset

As you complete your research, please don’t let my specific recommendations limit your career exploration. It’s possible that you may uncover one or more additional ideas that appeal to you when you conduct your research using the tools, resources, and strategies in my online resources.

Job Evaluation Workbook

It can take some real effort to research these career ideas, but it’s well worth the effort to uncover the best ideas and make a good career choice. I have attached an Evaluation Workbook with 26 questions to help you discover what you like and dislike about each career idea.

How to Make Difficult Decisions (Like Choosing a New Job) Easier & More Effectively 

Big and high-risk decisions, like choosing a new job and career path, can sometimes be very difficult to make. That’s to be expected: making career decisions is an emotional process with potentially significant financial considerations to take into account, as well as your desire to do what is best for you personally and professionally.

While there is no one “right” way to make a big decision, thankfully there are proven decision-making strategies and frameworks you can use, either individually or, more likely, in conjunction with each other.

I have written 10 short articles that aim to give you additional knowledge, strategies and tools you can use to effectively evaluate the different job and career ideas and identify the best new work path for you – while helping you to avoid analysis paralysis and other situations that can cause you to get stuck or fail to act, you can find them here.

Whatever job offer you decide to accept, it’s likely that you’ll make a decision that involves an element of risk.

Risk is made up of two parts: the probability of something going wrong, and the negative consequences if it does. Risk Analysis is a process that helps you identify and manage potential problems. To carry out a Risk Analysis, follow these steps:

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Whatever career path you choose, it’s very likely that you’ll make a decision that involves an element of risk.

Risk is made up of two parts: the probability of something going wrong, and the negative consequences if it does. Risk Analysis is a process that helps you identify and manage potential problems. To carry out a Risk Analysis, take these steps:

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Newton Baker was one of the most interesting men ever to serve as U.S. Secretary of War.  He was an avowed pacifist when he took the post in 1916.  Yet, after the United States entered World War I, Baker’s dedication, spirit and leadership won the respect of Democrats and Republications.

How could a man of such caliber conclude he’d be perfectly safe standing on the bridge of a battleship while the country’s best pilots attacked it with bombs?

Baker made an error in judgment that can happen to even the best decision-makers.  Many educated people in the World War I era believed that no gnat of an airplane could sink a battleship. Worse than guessing wrong, Baker’s big mistake was holding his beliefs with utter conviction, without considering whether the available information justified the depth of that conviction.  Baker knew with total – and totally unjustified – certainty that planes could not sink ships.

When Warren Harding succeeded Wilson, General Mitchell’s squadron of tiny planes demonstrated its power and promptly turned a supposedly unsinkable ship into a permanent part of the ocean floor (Don’t worry about Baker, he had returned to private citizens and a successful law practice).

Baker’s error illustrates the mistakes intelligent people can commit when they fail to evaluate carefully the information available to them. This illustrates two more decision traps:

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Newton Baker was one of the most interesting men ever to serve as U.S. Secretary of War.  He was an avowed pacifist when he took the post in 1916. After the United States entered World War I, Baker’s leadership won the respect of Democrats and Republicans.

How could such an accomplished and admired man conclude he’d be perfectly safe standing on the bridge of a battleship while the country’s best pilots attacked it with bombs?

Baker made an error in judgment that can happen to even the best decision-makers. Many educated people in the World War I era believed that no gnat of an airplane could sink a battleship. Worse than guessing wrong, Baker’s big mistake was holding his beliefs with utter conviction, without considering whether the available information justified the depth of that conviction. Baker knew with total – and totally unjustified – certainty that small planes could not sink large battle ships.

General Mitchell’s squadron of tiny planes, however, demonstrated its power and promptly turned a supposedly unsinkable ship into a permanent part of the ocean floor. (Don’t worry about Baker, he had returned to being a private citizen and a successful law practice).

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In the previous module, I wrote a caution about relying on your intuition.

Today, I want to write a caution about relying on a spreadsheet calculation to make a critical decision.

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