Chapter 7
Your SAL Command Center
It's operation takes place in your mind, heart, and spirit.
If you are mature enough to read and understand this book, you're old enough to have made errors in judgment that caused you pain or regret. To err is human, as the old saying goes.
Self-action leaders focus their efforts on learning from their own mistakes—and from the errors of others—to make better choices and avoid the same blunders in the future.
Consider, for instance, the following reflections that countless individuals have made over the years...
- "I should have never gotten involved in that relationship, but I was just following my heart in the moment." (Emotional mistake)
- "I thought I could do it all by myself; I was wrong. I should have sought out help from the beginning from someone who had more knowledge and experience than me." (Intellectual mistake)
- "I had a feeling from the start that we should have avoided partnering with Mr. X or Ms. Y. If I had only listened to my gut, I wouldn't be in this mess!" (Spiritual-Visceral mistake)
- If only I had kept my big mouth shut and not shared my opinions so freely and openly in the interview, I probably would have gotten the job." (Social mistake)
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| As a self-action leader, YOU are the CEO of your own life. |
You'll make better decisions when you analyze data, experiences, reality, and other situational variables in a balanced way. To accomplish this, I advise YOU—as the CEO of your own metaphysical world—to spend time in your SAL Command Center on a regular (even a daily or hourly) basis, and especially when confronted with important decisions; and the bigger the decision, the more carefully and conscientiously you will want to consult your Command Center.
You SAL Command Center is akin to a company's boardroom or C-level suite. It's the place where you consult with FOUR (4) key elements of your nature before making any vital life decision. These board members work together to help you make healthy, productive, and effective decisions.
These four board members include the spiritual/visceral, cognitive, social, and emotional elements of your nature.
- Spiritual/Visceral: Represented by the COMPASS, the spiritual/visceral component of your nature is concerned with matters of conscience. It serves as your internal sense of right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral, and ethical and unethical. Other terms commonly used to describe this phenomenon include: epiphanies, gut feelings, instincts, hunches, sixth sense, suprarational inspiration, etc.
- Cognitive: Represented by the BRAIN, the cognitive component of your nature is concerned with matters of common sense, data, logic, mathematics, reason, and science.
- Social: Represented by the HANDSHAKE, the social component of your nature is concerned with interactions with other human beings in conjunction with the laws, mores, and rules that organize and regulate social collectives.
- Emotional: Represented by the HEART, the emotional component of your nature is concerned with loving, being loved, and the spectrum of human desires and feelings.
The purpose of your Command Center is to avoid imbalances when making decisions. Balanced decision-making will lead to consistently making positive, productive, and sound moves while avoiding preventable mistakes in every area of your life. Remember that truth, virtue, and correct (and wise) decision making is not to be found in extremes; it is located in a balance between (or among) extremes (Aristotle's Golden Mean). Effective decision-making requires the consultation of all four components of your Command Center (Nature) in as unbiased and balanced a manner as possible.
Just as the U.S. Government has a separation of powers with three distinct governing bodies (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial) acting independently of each other, the purpose of your Command Center is to provide an intrapersonal system of checks and balances when making decisions as a self-action leader.
Your SAL Command Center
While one component does not necessarily hold more weight and decision-making authority than the others—all four carry a semblance of situational veto power—wisdom does suggest that a basic hierarchy exist in order to create a sense of order and seniority in the overall process. Some may disagree with this hierarchy as promoted by Freedom Focused. Nevertheless, based on our extensive research and experience, we believe this hierarchical ordering leads to the best and wisest decisions in the long-run.
1. Spiritual/Visceral
2. Cognitive
3. Social
4. Emotional
This hierarchy grants the most authority to the spiritual/visceral component of your nature. It does so for the simple reason that this component is primarily concerned with conscience (right vs. wrong) and at Freedom Focused, we are laser-focused on doing what is right and eschewing what is wrong—for the long-term benefits and blessings of ourselves and others.
Self-action leaders everywhere follow suit.
Second-in-command is the cognitive component, which is concerned with common sense, facts, and logic.
Third and fourth-in-command are the social and emotional components of your nature. They generally sit "lower on the bench" because they tend to be the most inconsistent, mercurial, and unreliable members of your decision-making "board."
Despite this general hierarchy, many situations arise to warrant that each component carries veto power. This veto serves as a safeguard against a malfunctioning board member, since there are times when "Conscience," or "Logic" alone may misfire, be imitated by a nefarious source, or otherwise lead you astray.
For example, when I was an adolescent, I faced many "moral dilemmas" and "promptings from my conscience" that were in-fact symptoms of a mental disorder (obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD). To overcome these cognitive distortions, I had to allow my social and/or emotional board members' guidance and wisdom to trump or "VETO" another, malfunctioning board member. I will share more about my experiences with OCD and depression in BOOK the SIXTH.
To further illustrate this point, consider the following examples where one board member could appropriately and legitimately cast a situational veto over another board member in order to make the best decision and avoid preventable errors.
- A CEO really wants (emotional) to partner with ABC Inc. The data that her COO and his team have drawn up (cognitive) suggests such a partnership could potentially lead to desired growth and expansion. Furthermore, the potential synergy between the two companies (social) could be enormous. On the other hand, similar mergers in the industry have routinely failed to measure up to expectations. Based on the CEO's three decades of experience in the industry, she has an uneasy feeling/instinct/sense (spiritual/visceral) about moving forward. She has learned from both positive and negative (painful) experiences in the past to trust her inner sense in such matters. Consequently, she decides to "Trust her Gut" and "Follow her Heart" and forgo the potential partnership.
Spiritual/Visceral VETO
- A woman is trying to decide whether to engage in cardiovascular exercise on a regular basis and if so, then what kind of exercise to engage in. It makes sense logically (cognitive) to exercise regularly for the many health benefits she will enjoy. Plus, social mores almost universally regard regular exercise as a positive personal pursuit (social). Finally, her conscience has been nudging her to be more physically active for a while now (spiritual/visceral). It seems the only question remaining is: what kind of regular physical exercise she will choose: bicycling, cross-fit, elliptical, jogging, running, swimming, or walking? Realizing she has several viable options, she asks herself what kind of cardiovascular exercise she would personally enjoy the most (emotional). Reflecting on her good memories of her high school swim team, she decides swimming would be, for her, the most enjoyable activity and joins a local gym with swimming facilities.
Emotional VETO
- A man is trying to decide on a company in which he will buy stock. He would like to invest his money in XYZ Corporation because his parents always did and he has a personal, historical connection to the organization (emotional). He also knows several respected members of his own company and community who have successfully invested in the company in the past (social). The man's conscience feels good about the investment because XYZ Corporation is known for its community service, humanitarian record, and philanthropic aid (spiritual/visceral). However, after extensive research (cognitive) and several discussion with his parents, he learns that investors' return on investment (ROI) from the past several years has been lackluster compared to past decades. Moreover, the CEO was recently terminated and indicted for siphoning corporate profits into an offshore bank account. Based solely on this research, the man decides not to invest in ABC Company for the time being, although he plans to keep his options open moving forward into the future and will monitor the organization's trajectory under new leadership.
Cognitive VETO
- Soon after moving into a new community, some friendly neighbors invite you over to their house for dinner. After supper, they serve you an unusual dessert that has been a family favorite of theirs for generations. Unfortunately, you find the dish painfully distasteful. In fact, you dislike it so much that you think (cognitive) and feel (emotional) that it might be worthwhile to tell them the truth for the sake of benefitting other guests in the future. After all, honesty is the best policy, right? (spiritual/visceral). However, when they finally ask, "So, how did you like it?" you opt to politely reply: "It was very interesting! I've never had anything like it before. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to try something new." You deem that at this stage of the relationships, polite honesty is more important than being unnecessarily transparent about the palatability of their home cooking (social).
Social VETO
Remember that the most important thing in every situation is not who is right, but what is right. If you are honest and practice integrity to the best of your ability, your SAL Command Center will serve you well along a wide spectrum of decision-making scenarios.
It is worth noting here that many decisions in life do not involve ethical or moral questions of right vs. wrong. For example: should I wear a black suit or a blue suit for my presentation? Or, should I eat broccoli and carrots or kale and corn for my vegetables tonight?
Many questions, however, do involve a moral and/or ethical component. As such, effectively utilizing this fourfold method will empower you to make correct decisions when moral imperatives and other essential variables are at play.
In Your Journal
- Think of a recent career, educational, or life decision you had to make. Would a knowledge of your SAL Command Center have helped you to make a better decision than you did? Why or why not?
- Think of a career, educational, or life decision you have to make in the near future. How might running this situation through your SAL Command Center help you make the wisest possible decision?
- Practice using your SAL Command Center by analyzing a personal or career decision that could theoretically arise in the future. Then, with help from your four "Board Members" formulate a decision and justify that decision with explanations from your four board members. Then answer the following questions:
- Were all four board members unanimous in their assent of your decision, or did one or more members veto the others?
- If a veto was called in, which board member claimed its veto authority?
- How did the vetoing board member justify the use of its veto authority?
—Dr. JJ
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Author's Note: This is the 396th Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 206th consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.
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Chapter 7 Notes
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