Gregory St. Germain sits in Broward County jail because of a Decision Tree. At the city commission meeting, last night, in addition to an official commendation, my wife received more than one stern warning about citizens confronting criminals. (Link to story at the bottom of this post).
People ask me what my wife was thinking? She used a Decision Tree. In a split second, she reviewed these questions.
- How large is the intruder? Is he bigger than me?
- Is he moving toward me or away from me?
- What is his mental state? Aggression? Or fear?
- Does he show any signs of a weapon?
In a split second, the answer to all those questions was NO. The Decision Tree gave my wife the confidence (and poise) to give chase, pull the intruder off the fence and put his face in the dirt.
If the answer to any of those questions had been different, it would have changed her response.
Decision Trees can be valuable in making quick decisions, but only if you plan them in advance and train to them. Police officers and EMTs use Decision Trees all the time to govern their behavior. Managers can do the same.
Most management circumstances can be anticipated. Decision Trees can be explored in advance. Given a situation in your company, you and your team can be trained in the discipline of a Decision Tree.
How will your team respond? -TF
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If you missed the story, here is the CNN link.