View the TED video by Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing. Dr. Iyengar assumes that Americans believe the following when it comes to making choices:

1. Make your own choices,
2. More options leads to better choices, and
3. Never say no to choice.

Reflect on these assumptions in your Leadership blog. Do you agree with Dr. Iyengar? What is the implication of her comments on leadership? Make sure to stay tuned through the end to see Dr. Iyengar's Action Research on pink nail polish.

 

       What makes America so special and different? Some might say that America is definitely different but not special, some dislike our American ways but I like to think that my country and people are the best. We are special and we are different from a large portion of the world. When we think about what makes America special we think about how innovative this country has been throughout its history. We came up with a new way of government first and foremost which allows us this freedom, and we created the ideal that everyone should be free to pursue whatever they want to in life.

    To me the most interesting study which Dr. Lyengar did was with the children and the options which they were given. I found it very interesting that the most successful kids were the kids who were given their own choice. This is interesting because I see children as a window into the future of what is to come. I feel that because we are so free with our thoughts that this is the reason for our success in this country. You can find dozens of studies which say that Americans are nowhere near the top performers in math and science yet for now we are still the number one economy in the world. Many people around the world might ask themselves how this is possible. After seeing this presentation I am convinced that our ability to be creative and have so many choices in life has led us to become one of the best nations ever.

         As I try to reflect on how this presentation applies to leadership I think about what type of leader creates the top performers. Certainly the best leader cannot be the one who lays everything out in front of you like a mother would. It is a leader who can give their employees enough space to get those creative juices flowing. A leader which can give their team the most options will have the most successful team. Dr. Lyengar said something almost mind blowing to me which has actually crossed my mind many times. As Americans we have the unique ability to perceive the differences between options, as Americans we practice this so much that we believe everyone should be born with this ability. This is amazing because I felt a deep connection with this statement.

          In my short life I was lucky enough to travel to the Middle East and some parts of Asia, it was interesting how choice is hard to find in many countries in this world. If you go to a restaurant the menu is very slim and usually applies to what time of the day it is. When you are walking about in some countries many people wear the same styling of clothes. You do not find many people with different styling in certain countries, everyone dresses and acts in a very similar manor when out in public. And last but not least when I was in Thailand my green tea did not come with sugar either.

         As a nation we are leaders across the globe, I can almost say because of our abilities to understand choice and freedom we as Americans are made to stand out in a crowd. Nothing stands out more like a sore thumb in foreign countries than an American. Some might call it arrogance or ignorance but the one thing that we can all admit is our ability to be unique and understand the differences in things which others might find to be the same thing. Our ability to find preferences in our choices derives from all of the different experiences which we might have had throughout our lives, in some ways our choices also define who we are. This is why you might get someone who would pick the ballet slippers pink over the adorable pink. Many might people might think it is the same thing but to a ballerina, ballet slippers pink might just be the best shade of pink she has ever seen.

           In this blog I would like to thank my parents for migrating to this country and seeing the difference in choices. They never once forced me to see things in black and white, they let me gain many different experiences in life which has led me to be the person I am today. Without their open mindedness and ability to see that there are different flavors of soda I might be lost in today’s world of many different choices.