“ Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment ”
This was a great phrase attributed to Jim Horning, an American computer scientist and author, although he claims to have ‘borrowed’ it from Nasreddin, a legendary folk character in the Middle East and Central Asia.
In the Mental Toughness MTQ48 4C Framework ,the ‘Challenge C’ is all about stretching oneself and learning from everything.
Generally we make better decisions when we’re familiar with the context ie with our surroundings and situation. It is likely that we have made the same decision before, sometimes many times ,and this experience provides the good judgement to make and implement the right decision successfully. We’re feeling confident in our capability and comfortable which is where the phrase “comfort zone”comes from.
This confidence is tested when we’re making or trying to implement a decision in unfamiliar surroundings, and in this situation we are more likely to come unstuck. We may make mistakes in the decision itself or its implementation but these errors and an unwanted outcome present a learning opportunity. If we can learn from our mistakes and make a different and better decision next time then we will have learned from the experience.
People high in Challenge have this “growth mindset” and are happier to take risks in the knowledge that they “win some learn some”.
People low in Challenge much prefer the routine of staying within their comfort zone. They are less likely to develop the experience that enables them to make better judgments, short term and long term.
Either way the advice from Jim Horning and Nasreddin holds.
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