Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

What Does Your Desk Say About How You Make Decisions?

"The way we make decisions is the way we make sense of the world."

— Gary Klein

Take out your phone and take a picture of your desk.

Don't clean it first.

Don't move anything.

Just take a picture and then study the photo.

Every object within arm's reach earned its place for a reason.

Some people keep family photos.

Some have a second monitor.

Some keep legal pads covered in handwritten notes.

Others have noise-canceling headphones, energy drinks, stress balls, or three different coffee mugs.

None of those things are random.

They reveal how you work.

How you solve problems.

How you deal with pressure.

And, in many cases...

How you make decisions.

This weekend I shared a photo of my own desk on LinkedIn.

A few people noticed the obvious.

The microphone.

The Pomodoro timer.

The notebook.

But others started spotting things I never mentioned.

Your competitive advantage isn't hidden in more information. It's hidden in the details everyone else walks past.

Questions started coming in.

"What's the green ball?"

"Why the Pocket device?"

"Why the analog notebook when you have a Mac?"

"What's the significance of the watch?"

That made me smile.

Because that's exactly how intelligence professionals are trained to think.

Not to jump to conclusions...

But to become intensely curious.

To notice patterns.

To ask better questions before making judgments.

That mindset isn't reserved for intelligence officers.

It's just as valuable in business.

The best leaders don't simply collect information.

They observe.

They filter.

They recognize what matters.

Then they decide.

Tomorrow I'll be opening enrollment for something I've spent years developing to help professionals build exactly that capability.

The CARVER Decision Advantage System isn't about collecting more information.

It's about seeing what everyone else overlooks.

Because the greatest competitive advantage in business today isn't access to more data.

It's the ability to make better decisions with the data you already have.

So before you start your workday tomorrow...

Take one more look at your desk.

Then ask yourself one simple question.

If someone studied my workspace for five minutes... what would they conclude about the way I think?

You might be surprised by the answer.

Tomorrow, we'll begin changing it.

Stay safe and vigilant!

Luke Bencie