{"id":29155,"date":"2022-10-19T16:07:31","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T23:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=29155"},"modified":"2022-10-20T08:44:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T15:44:13","slug":"whats-the-big-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/whats-the-big-idea\/","title":{"rendered":"Whats the Big Idea?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em> by Daniel Kahneman introduces many new concepts to help us understand the decision process and make more effective decisions as leaders. Kahneman, with a long history as a psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, explains the two main ways or systems in how we think and make decision.[1] Kahneman helps us realize that many leaders in organizations are overconfident in their decisions based on past success.<\/p>\n

We see a common thread in Peter Scazzero book on the Emotionally Healthy Leader, that leaders can make very psychology behind these or choices or emotionally unhealthy decisions based on passed success.[2] Often we look to the past for help, when we need to look to Jesus for help, even a new way of doing things. Kahneman in Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em> goes into greater detail and\u00a0 psychology in making and understanding the decision process.<\/p>\n

Kahneman breaks down decision making into two systems. The first system he introduces is called System #1. System #1 is the fast automatic system of our brain or survival side of decision making. This system kicks in in emergencies and supports us in making decisions very rapidly in a crises.\u00a0 He also introduces System #2 which is the slower more logical side of making a decision. Often this is when we analyze, take time to research, maybe even talk to an expert.<\/p>\n

Kahneman introduces six main points, that he calls the Big Idea:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Understanding System 1 and 2<\/li>\n
  2. Understanding Anchoring<\/li>\n
  3. Understanding the Science of Availability<\/li>\n
  4. Understanding Loss Aversion<\/li>\n
  5. Understanding Framing<\/li>\n
  6. Understanding Sunk Cost’s Fallacity<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Each understanding of these six items, will help us as leaders understand the decision process and in the end, help us to make the best decision possible. I have found personally that I have thrived in System #1 in making decisions. With working on large scale construction projects and in crises ministry, I tend to fall apart in System #2. It seems, whenever things slow down, and I have time in System #2, I analyze, evaluate, and disagree with decisions I have made in System #1.<\/p>\n

    Often in an organization or ministry, things that brought us great success, or even saved the organization or ministry, can work against or hinder the future success of that organization or ministry. In big idea #6, Kahneman shares with us Understaning Sunk Cost’s Fallacity. This is a very difficult threshold to cross and come into, overcome, and lead others into change, but what I am really talking about is transformation.<\/p>\n

    In my own organization, because of Covid and people upset with local politics, many people left the Northwest, especially in our community. We went from having free meals throughout the week, to a food ministry that exploded. During the peak of Covid we had between 8,000-10,000 people each week coming to the church (System 1). Over time, new people and youth joined the church and school. The long process of learning and being transformed by the word of God (System 2).<\/p>\n

    At this present time in my life, I have lived most of my time in System #1 or survival thinking. In this time we have almost transported in 50 million pounds of free food for the community, especially for immigrants and refugees. As this crises has lessened over this past six months, I now find more time in Systmem #2 where I am taking time to analyze and being more strategic in our food distribution in Washington State and distributing to other counties.<\/p>\n

    I am now realizing Kahneman’s Big Idea #6 Understanding Sunk Cost’s Fallacity. In this process, I realize that my time in the food ministry is coming to an end. I struggle with decision, because of all the equipment that has been purchased, all the hours of training, driving, to help our community, elders, widows, orphans, immigrants, and refugees. I realize I am struggling with making a decision for the food ministry to end in time. I have come to realize that I struggle at times with my emotions due to fatigue, I also realize this fatigue is hurting my calling as a pastor, to shepherd the flock. To labor for the food that does not parish. To remember what is at stake here, which is eternity.<\/p>\n

    In time, I will let go of the food ministry, sell equipment, maybe even make a memory plaque to put on the side of the church for the people. In time, people will forget what God did at the Well Church. In all of this, Kahnemans book on Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow has helped identify that what helped save the church previously, is now starting to hinder the church from growing. In this, I come to my knees, I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy, teaching me, never abandoning me, nor forsaking me. I say to Him, finish the process Lord!<\/p>\n

    [1] Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow<\/em>.Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1st edition (April 2, 2013)<\/p>\n

    [2] Scazzero, Peter. The Emotionally Healthy Leader<\/em>: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World. Zondervan 2015<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman introduces many new concepts to help us understand the decision process and make more effective decisions as leaders. Kahneman, with a long history as a psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, explains the two main ways or systems in how we think and make decision.[1] […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":162,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2347,2052],"class_list":["post-29155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp01","tag-kahneman","cohort-lgp1"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/162"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29155"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29164,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29155\/revisions\/29164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}