The Brain and the Heart

(This article was first published in Sonoma State University's MBA Connect newsletter in March 2016.)

I had the privilege of interviewing Congressman Mike Thompson recently in front of a group of our MBA students and alumni. I am impressed by how thoughtful and deliberate he is when making important decisions. No matter what you think of his politics, having a politician who considers issues on a case-by-case basis, doing thorough research and taking into account the best interests of his constituency, is refreshing and encouraging.

The aim of our MBA programs is to develop leaders and managers who can effectively address organizational issues. While in our programs, students learn to define problems, gather relevant information, analyze that data, take into account stakeholder perspectives, and make defensible decisions based on the evidence that best meets the needs of stakeholders. Mike Thompson has a Master of Public Administration degree (like an MBA for the public sector) from Chico State. He also learned those skills, and it is obvious that he practices them every day.

It is easy for our emotions and our passions to make an end run around our brains. There are good evolutionary reasons for this. Politicians, marketing professionals, and our children often appeal directly to our feelings, hoping to bypass reasonable thought. And in many cases, that is fine and appropriate. If we used only our brains in deciding whether or not to have kids, we might be facing a population collapse! I want to choose food and wine from a restaurant menu that I am going to enjoy and savor. But when considering the best course of action for major business decisions, business executives and managers need to take the Mike Thompson approach, leveraging MBA-level analytical skills to make sound decisions, and then engaging their emotions to lead: to empathize with and persuade stakeholders, to persevere when the going gets tough, and to give their work a sense of purpose and meaning.

One of the most interesting moments of the night was when Congressman Thompson, a decorated Vietnam veteran, described his decision-making process regarding his vote for or against the war in Iraq. He was (and is) very involved in veterans’ affairs and supports the military, but not blindly. After listening to the full-court press by President Bush, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, and others during the run-up to the vote, he and a handful of other legislators went to Iraq on a fact-finding mission, although they received a lot of criticism for doing so. There was strong emotional momentum for going to war. Before sending any constituents into Iraq, perhaps to die there, he wanted to know it was truly necessary. And this self-described moderate made his own rational decision, based on the best evidence he could find: to vote against going to war with Iraq, even though that was an unpopular decision at the time.

Whether or not you agree with that position, the fact is that Congressman Thompson is enormously popular among his constituents, from conservatives to progressives. If a business leader makes thoughtful decisions based on sound, defensible reasoning, she or he will likely enjoy long-term support, even if stakeholders don’t agree with every decision. The brain and the heart are important, but the brain needs to take the lead in developing evidence-based, well-reasoned important decisions. The heart then helps make those decisions happen. Developing both of those capacities, and knowing when to use them, is why you have, or are working toward, an MBA degree.