Don't make up your mind in advance

A doctor in training was called by the emergency room to evaluate a patient. Frustrated that this sounded like an insignificant question, he decided to save time by reviewing it with the staff physician in advance over the phone. He could then simply see the patient and recommend discharge from the emergency room rather than admit the patient for further observation.

This he did, but the patient returned the next day with a poor outcome. The doctor in training did not follow the standard procedure, which was to evaluate the patient first, then discuss the case with the staff physician. He made up his mind in advance of the evaluation.

It seems to me that an unhealthy adherence to a political party could be a way of making a similar error. By formulating a set of decisions in advance, the candidates commit themselves and their judgment before they even have a chance to truly evaluate the problems that are to come their way. All this theory is too disconnected from the realities of day-to-day leadership.

We may be at a point in history when choosing leaders independently of the parties is an option. At least let us pause for a moment and ask: What kind of doctor would you want to see? One who with great intelligence, or at least great show, makes fantastic and inventive judgments in advance, or one who listens to your story and then struggles to figure out just what is the best thing to do?

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Don't make up your mind in advance."