I would suggest getting this book and reading every word, it will change your perspective and help you become more in tune with yourself and your intuitions. The stories Gladwell tells are mind blowing and unforgettable.
What I took away from “blink” is that judgements that people make throughout the day can be based on factual knowledge and experience that is grounded or not. Stereotypes, racism, sexism, etc. is based on prejudices lacking facts. Intuition when making a decision is generally accurate when we make bigger decisions, the smaller decisions we should lean more towards facts and information.
In corporations, letting employees be free to use their own personal judgements in work and in the company builds creativity and trust. When people are free from systems and can rely on their own problem solving abilities, great accomplishments, breakthroughs, and surprising success can occur.
Some key quotes:
“Whenever we have something that we are good at-something we care about-that experience and passion fundamentally change the nature of our first impressions.” (pg. 184)
“We have come to confuse information with understanding.” (pg. 264)
“The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.” (pg. 265)
“Imagine that you were looking at a seventeen-year-old Michael Jordan. He wasn’t the tallest, or the biggest basketball player, nor the best jumper. His statistics weren’t the finest in the country. What set Michael Jordan apart from his peers was his attitude and motivation.” (pg. 272)
“Sometimes we can make better judgments with less information. I think that the accused in a criminal trial shouldn’t be in the courtroom. He or she should be in another room entirely, answering questions by e-mail or through the use of an intermediary. And I think that all evidence and testimony in a trial that tips the jury off to the age or race or gender of the defendant ought to be edited out.” (pg. 276)
“Once we know about how the mind works-and about the strengths and weaknesses of human judgment-it is our responsibility to act.” (pg. 276)
Basically, blink is asking the reader is examine our judgements and where they come from. Which judgements are unhealthy? When should we side with our instincts? When is facts and information helpful?