Customer Reviews

The Impulse Factor: Why Some of Us Play It Safe and Others Risk It All

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nick Tasler has succeeded in entering the "what makes people tick" arena with a unique work that is built on common themes expressed in a distinct voice.

In the Introduction, Tasler writes "By knowing each of our specific decision-making tendencies, we can exercise control over them." The "two-part formula"...laying out the variables and then suggesting ways to manipulate them for greater achievement...is a tactic that was successfully employed in George W. Dudley and Shannon L. Goodson's classic work "The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance." It is the tendency of most people to function on auto-pilot. It doesn't matter if the "learned behaviors" are constructive or destructive. Those who spend each day in focused, conscious, deliberate effort are in the minority. "The Impulse Factor" gives you the opportunity to learn about yourself, to understand your motivations, but only you can decide which (if any) changes you will implement.

Chapter 8, "Risk Managers: Conquering The Fear of Big Cats," presents an interesting challenge. Like the other chapters, it is broken down into components ("The Flip Side of Fear," "Focus On Targets," "Making Effective Decisions Quickly," "Learning Decisiveness Through Failure," "Embracing The Unknown," "Inside-The-Box Learning," "Evidence-Based Management," "Think, Analyze, and React," "Managing Risk Without Running From Opportunity"). The underlying theme expressed by Tasler is "Accept your fear and plan ahead to deal with it." Or, as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain." Fear is an emotion which can be intellectualized, but only by the willing.

That's the foundation of this book...any "driver," any emotion, anything that "makes you tick" can be analyzed and reconstructed for your benefit. Tasler discusses MAO (monoamine oxidase), the enzyme in our brain "whose job it is to keep impulses in check." There are some who accept biological factors influencing our behaviors as science and others who reject it as voodoo. Regardless of where you stand on this, it bears consideration. "The Impulse Factor" is about nuances, variables, and the individuality of its readers.

It's a book that can be read, or it's a book that can be used. Your choice.

This is the first time I've ever written one of these customer reviews because, as a reader, I rarely trust the opinions of random people on the internet. I felt compelled to write one for The Impulse Factor, though because this is not the kind of book I'd normally buy and wanted to let other people know of my happy accident.

One of the things Tasler does well in this book is take a series of pretty complicated psychological information and break it down in a way that makes the subject matter much cooler than a psych textbook from college. From dating to gambling to the NFL, the concrete examples and real-world applicability of the subject made this book as fun a read as I've had in awhile.

I've always hated it when someone's behaviour gets explained as "Well, he's just like that." That never really satisfied me, so I really like to read books that explain why people are the way they are. This book does that in ways that will not only help me understand people better, but also help me when I'm conducting a job interview or working with new people on a consulting project.

If I had to compare it with something else I've read, I guess I would compare it to Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. Both authors know what they're talking about when it comes to psychology, but do not talk down to you like a nerdy academic. Tasler's writing style and his grounding in real-life examples makes this something I'll be buying my co-workers for Christmas.

I wish a book could be given 10 stars. "Impulse Factor" is an extraordinary read, probably the best 'C' level book I've read this year. Not only does it explore the very important question about why some people take more risks than other, but it explores ADHD, impulsivity, and personality traits of CEOs and drivers. "For far too long, we have been mystified by the process of our own decision making." If demystifying that for yourself and for others is important to you, then this is a must read book.

The book is not without its faults - I could have used less anecdotes and more getting to the point. However, in terms of empirical study and real solutions on how to manage risk, succeed if you are impulsive or have ADHD in the Boardroom, this book hits on all cylinders.

This book will definitely help anyone who has to understand why people make decisions, such as managers and salespeople. For example, "people think safety first, not best choice. Often decision is based on which is 'not worse.' One quarter of the population are risk takers (which includes the most successful business people and CEOs) who will defy norms. They have a deep focus on rewards and are much less concerned with risk.

People who take risks tend to be more successful, and according to the author has a genetic predisposition that has endured and prospered our species. "When people fail to observe boundaries, nothing stands in their way." However such impulsivity and risk taking also creates dramatic failures and disasters. Nick Tasler spends a good part of the book explaining how to overcome the downside of impulsivity while maximizing its benefits.

Read this book if you've ever been criticized for "thinking from the gut" as Jack Welch would say. Read this if you have ADHD, short attention span, or simply are a driver type personality that needs to know how to balance your strengths against the destructive side of impulsivity and aggression. I believe every executive and 'C' level person would benefit by reading "Impulse Factor."

This book goes about exploring with you what you are. Are you a risk manager or a potential seeker? There's no right or wrong answers. It is written by an employee of TalentSmart. I enjoyed some of the different sections of each chapter. I liked how Nick Tasler started each chapter differently from Zach Johnson who beat Tiger Woods to politicians to the rescuers who started an avanlanche. Usually one of the section would click with me but some of the others just left me wondering where he was going with it. I didn't like how about mid-point of the book Mr. Tasler starts focusing on TalentSmart's impulse factor test which is on the internet and what the different scores mean. I realize this is to help you figure out where you stand and also how you can give your company more using your impulse factor but I was getting more from his research than I did from him telling me about his test and his company. I didn't feel like after I found out my impulse personality that Mr. Tasler truly told me how I could make it work for me. I thought it was a lot of generalities that most people will be aware of. I wanted to love this book because of the topic. However, I found that it felt short of Mr. Tasler's stated goals in the book. I think it's interesting but definitely a bargain book not a full price buy.

Which one are you? Are you among the 75% who are "Risk Managers" or among the other 25% who are "Potential Seekers"? Why do some people opt for a 50% chance to win $10,000 rather than a 100% guarantee of getting $5000?

The answer lies partly in genetics according to the author. Some of us have the "novelty seeking genes" that make some of us seek thrills in every day life to get to the same happy state that others may get to by just pottering about in their garden or reading books. Impulsiveness, argues the author can be a factor of genetics.

Ultimately, this is book that delves into the decision making process and gives us insights to manage risk without running from opportunity. It also asks the impulse followers to Think, Analyze and then React. The aim is to strike a balance in our decision making process.

This book is interesting and Nick Tasler has a good style. However, the book got too long in parts. We are so used to getting our information in bite sized nuggets now that any chapter that takes too long to get to the point gets boring. I thought Tasler used great examples to illustrate his points in the book, but he gave so much build up in some that the nugget of information which came at the end was almost anti-climactic.

If you're interested enough to read this review, I recommend reading this book. For me it wasn't earth shattering but it provided insight into the question, why do some of us jump into entrepreneurship propelled by a new idea while the rest of us keep working at our jobs still mulling over the pros and cons of taking that step. If you've been intrigued by the same question, I recommend reading this book.

The world, says author Nick Tasler, is divided into two types of people: the potential seekers and the risk managers. The former comprise about 25% of the population and these types tend to be more impulsive and take greater risks in order to achieve a perceived higher reward, than do the majority group, the risk managers, who favor safety and certainty over risk and reward. There's evidence that much of this is genetic; that certain people simply have a natural tendency towards being more impulsive due to their genetic structure.

Being a potential seeker can be a good or bad thing, depending on how one utilizes this disposition. Be too careless and you wind up eliminating yourself from the population. But channel it the right way and you may wind up developing that innovation that takes humanity forward.

The author has an online test to measure your degree of impulsiveness and how much of a potential seeker you are. I took it and discovered I am one of the 25% who is more of an impulsive potential seeker. I found myself nodding my head at the description in the book of this type of person. I also read the risk manager description and while I saw a part of me in this as well, I agreed with the test in that overall I am more of an impulsive type.

The author states various ways in which those who fall under one or the other category can make the most of that tendency, to maximize their productivity. I found this useful although I felt the author did get long winded at times. I found the research he cited to be fascinating.

I would recommend this book to anyone whose attention is captured by the title. If the title makes you interested in what the book is about, I'd say you would most likely benefit from reading it. If it doesn't, then perhaps it is too risky for you to read.

Over the years, I've taken tests offered for free by authors. Until The Impulse Factor, I've always found those tests to be a waste of time. None of them ever provided an insight that I didn't have before I took the test.

The Impulse Factor test was different: I learned a lot about myself, including some valuable lessons about my risk preferences that I need to change. I encourage you to buy a copy a new copy of the book so that you, too, can take this revealing test.

About ten years ago, I met a man who described his sense of adventure as including doing tasks with a high probability of being killed. I didn't understand why he felt that way until he mentioned that it would be worth dying young just to feel so alive in the moments before death. From The Impulse Factor, I learned that some people need lots of risk . . . even if that risk doesn't provide tangible rewards. The man's answer made a lot more sense in this context.

Most people just play it safe, even when it's more rewarding to plunge ahead. A minority plunge ahead, even when it's smart to play safe. Mr. Tasler takes on the dual task of persuading us to learn from both extremes to make timely decisions that make sense. Most people make poorer decisions if they move too fast, so it's a good idea to take enough time . . . just not too much. It's dealing with those kinds of ideas that make it difficult to calibrate what you need to take away from this book. That's where the test comes in. Don't miss it!

Usually I enjoy books that explain psychological patterns so Impulse Factor was a natural for me to choose. Mostly I enjoyed the book, especially Tasler's summary of psychological studies. There's not a lot of novelty: if you've taken a social psych course, especially at the graduate level, you'll recognize the classics.

Other reviewers have identified the book's many virtues, so I will focus on two quibbles.

First, I am cautious about the influence of personality traits. Some personality theorists emphasize that trait are more like dispositions -- i.e., tendencies to respond that can change depending on the situation. And I believe people do change fundamentally over time.

More important, I believe Tasler defines "impulse" very broadly. His first example -- rescue squad members who decide to race down a dangerous hill -- seems to fit the definition. I view a dieter's decision to order a big piece of chocolate cake as giving in to impulse.

But I think we can differentiate risk taking tendencies and non-conformity from impulsivity. We can distinguish impulsivity as a trait from impulsive decisions. I also think we have to differentiate intuitive decisions from impulsive decisions, especially in business. Often what seems to be an impulsive decision is actually grounded in experience. Malcolm Gladwell's Blink shows how on-the-spot decisions often are grounded in deep experience.

That's probably why Tasler ultimately concludes the most successful visionaries combine traits of potential seekers and risk managers. I suspect many of us tend to move quickly in situations where we have experience to guide us. And as Tasler suggests (in more elegant language), when forced to make a decision with incomplete information, we need to ask, "What's the worst outcome scenario?"

Despite these quibbles, I would recommend the book enthusiastically -- except for the book's ties to a commercial consulting firm. Appendix A appears to be a guide to the proprietary test -- essentially a commercial.

The Impulse Factor is a research based book from Nick Tasler of TalentSmart. At its core, it offers a quantifiable measure of decision making tendencies based on one's personal tendencies toward impulsiveness. It is a very logically structured book. It starts out with five chapters that provide the motivation based on research and observation of both man and animal throughout history. The final four chapters deal with the "Impulse Factor" test and how it applies to everyday life. Each chapter begins with a real world example that sets the stage for the particular topic, and the remainder of the chapter provides the technical details in light of the example. In addition, each copy of the book comes with a unique code on the inside cover of the dust jacket that gives access to take the online version of the Impulse Factor assessment. Afterward, you have unlimited access to your results as well as tools to help you improve your own decision making based on your results.

I liked the book overall. Tasler has a good writing style, and I never felt that the book bogged down even when he was dealing with genetics or psychology. As a result, I found that it was a fairly quick read in spite of the fact that it is fairly technical in these areas. One area for readers to be cognizant of is that Tasler bases a lot of his ideas on the theory of evolution. The data and current observation and research that he presents stand on their own, but you may find that you draw conclusions about their origins differently based on your own worldview. However, I found that the insights and online tools were worth the effort, and most people will find The Impulse Factor useful regardless of their worldview. Given the importance of decision making in the business world, people in leadership positions stand to gain the most from reading this book. That's not to say that other decisions are less important, but they do tend to be less frequent.

This is an "entertaining read" - as the reviewers say! The main criticisms seem to be that it is simplistically obvious and that it is designed to lure the reader into paying to take The Impulse Factor Test. I didn't think the material was obvious at all. It presents examples to illustrate how 75% of us are not compulsive risk takers. These are appropriate and illustrate the nature of impulsive behaviour well. The book then goes on to describe the scientifically-based reasons for impulsiveness, and it is here that I take issue with it. It is too simplistic, not allowing adequately for cross-over between impulsive and risk-averse behaviour. Nor does the theory cope with people who might have other influences on their lives that tend to override their natural tendencies completely. In my case, a medical condition that demands frustratingly persistent caution, but allows me to get away with the occasional head-first leap into risk! However, since the authors are at great pains to point out that the results of their test are normally distributed, I suppose that gives them an out even for my erroneous results. So, unless you are average, don't take the results too seriously. This brings me to the other common criticism, that the book is a cunning way to make you spend more money on the test. This is usually associated with critics who also considered the book's conclusions obvious and so didn't bother to read much of it. Without giving the game away too much, they should have read it through and found out how wrong they were in every way!

I enjoyed reading this book a great deal and found the test entertaining and, with some modification of the conclusions, probably useful. It will not be life-changing for me because of my circumstances, but it may well be for younger readers who are risk-takers. Youth tends to associate risk with reckless bravery, something to be admired. As shown by the examples in the book, this is often associated with bad outcomes, even death. The main value of the book, however, will be to those who consider risk management to be the Holy Grail, yet have the imagination to wonder why their lives seem dull. You can do something about it without make life hazardous. Start by reading this book!