What All Executives Can Learn from Will Smith's Assault of Chris Rock
By now, we've all seen the sad and unfortunate episode on the Oscars where Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock.
As upsetting as the episode was, we can use it as a way to illustrate the differences between System 1 thinking vs. System 2 thinking.
System 1 thinking happens at the base of our skull. It's where the Reptilian Brain resides and is the oldest part of our brain.?
System 1 thinking sees the world based on impulse and instinct. All stimuli are seen as food, fight, flight, and so on.?
Those impulses are controlled by System 2 thinking which happens in the prefrontal cortex.?
When we experience something that makes us want to fight or flee, our System 1 thinking has kicked in. You've experienced that. I've experienced that. We've all experienced it.
If we can control those feelings and thoughts, then our System 2 thinking has kicked in.
At the Oscars, Mr. Smith used System 1 thinking which is activated when we feel attacked or threatened.?
Mr. Rock, on the other hand, used System 2 thinking to control his impulses and not counter-attack.
The result is that the world is condemning Will Smith while holding Chris Rock up as an example of professionalism, honor, and integrity.?
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(Side Note: Chris Rock made a joke about a condition Jada Smith has that is outside of her control. That's not acceptable, but his poor taste in jokes is overshadowed by Will Smith's bad behavior.)
How this Applies to You.?Have you ever been in a meeting where you extremely angry about a comment someone made??Have you ever been in someone's office where you just wanted to run away??
If so, then you've experienced System 1 thinking.
Hopefully, you controlled your System 1 thinking with a strong dose of System 2 thinking.?
If so, then you've experienced what all successful executives have experienced, which is to manage your impulses and deal with them in a professional manner.?
The Bottom Line.?We're all guilty of experiencing System 1 thinking. We are, after all, humans. But successful executives learn how to control their impulses with System 2 thinking. Remember, it's System 2 thinking that gets us to the corner office, not System 1 thinking.
To learn more about the essential skills all executives should have, watch this 150-second video on YouTube or click the image above.
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About the Author: Jamie Turner is an internationally recognized author, professor, consultant, and speaker who has helped employees at The Coca-Cola Company, Holiday Inn, Microsoft, Verizon and others do a better job leading, managing, and mentoring others. You may have seen Jamie in Inc., Entrepreneur, Business Insider, or Forbes. He's also a regular guest on CNN and HLN, where he delivers segments on marketing, persuasion, and leadership. Jamie is the co-author of several essential business books and his YouTube channel was designated one of the "Top 10 Business YouTube Channels" in the nation by Wishpond.com.?
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2 年Thanks for sharing. Will Smith's action was congruent with the first part of his award acceptance speech - emphasis was on protecting others. We don't know what he went through in life to have triggered him to to act as he did, especially at a major event in front of a whole industry. Rationally, it was a joke - he could have viewed it as such. Or, he could have just shouted out his displeasure to Chris without the physical assault. On the other hand, for any given stimuli, whether system thinking 1 or 2 is dominant at that time, depends on many factors. A person currently facing a lot of mental pressure will likely act on system thinking 1 although he is normally operating with system thinking 2