Working with a client I was recently reminded of an important principle for decision makers. When we enter our workplace we tend to put on a metaphorical suit of armor. The armor is designed to protect us from difficult clients, inept colleagues, nagging bosses, and other threats or distractions – real or imagined.

Because our armor is so much a part of us, we don’t realize it’s there, but we do experience the tension and anxiety from carrying its weight, often as soon as we drive up to our factory or office parking lot. In many cases, the armor is necessary to help us function and keep our sanity. But carrying that armor around the workplace adds a constant element of tension to our working day and this affects our decision making. I often find that the most practical advice for managers is to urge them to leave the office or factory environment and instead spend some time in a more neutral and relaxed one. From this new perspective it’s easier to avoid overly defensive thinking. It’s also much easier to regain a higher level perspective that focuses on the big picture rather than being mired in details which are often meaningless in the grand scheme of organizational strategy and priorities. Better perspective and a more relaxed state of mind naturally allow us to make better decisions—ones that are much harder to arrive at from within our tense office setting.

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