An exercise to help you remember the importance of slowing down

A manager makes hundreds of decisions that will affect their team’s productivity, wellbeing and overall success. But it is important to remember that even if you have a history of making good decisions, in times of crisis you need to slow down and make sure you are operating in a calm manner.

Here is a quick exercise to help you test yourself. Set a timer for 10 seconds, and then consider this problem:

A tennis racket and a ball cost €1.10. The racket costs €1 more than the ball. How much is the ball?

What did you answer?

Many people (even those who are good at math) automatically answer 10 cents. But the correct answer is 5 cents, because you must remember to add the two costs together.

This is an example of what I call people’s “fast” brain taking over. We all have a fast brain and a slow brain, and it is important as a leader to train your fast…