One of the most common misconceptions is that people mistake cause and effect as interchangeable. A cause is often seen as an effect, or an effect is mistaken for a cause. The most well-known phenomenon demonstrating this is the halo effect — a situation where specific characteristics of an object influence how we judge other traits. For example, you might like that person’s character because you like one of their qualities, not because you like the person as a whole. This misunderstanding is a common causal error. If you like someone, you tend to think everything about them is good; if you don’t like someone, you might overlook or dislike everything about them. It’s not that you dislike the person for one reason and like them for another—it’s simply how the human heart works. Gaining someone’s favor, therefore, can be an arduous and painful process. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
For leadership to be good, one must always grow up with self-objectivity and self-verification. It refers to admitting when something is wrong immediately and changing direction and attitude. However, this meta-recognition property presents a significant obstacle to leadership. People tend to follow a leader who sides with them rather than one who possesses exemplary character and ability. The more reasonable the leaders are, the easier it is to overlook this phenomenon, and the more likely they are to make enemies in the process of making sensible and correct decisions. This raises the question: do you need to be a good leader? Not necessarily. The basic rule is not to use an inflexible yardstick. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”