Do NOT cherry pick!



In a management meeting, facts and figures on marketing performance for the previous month were presented. There were different views and feedbacks offered for the successes and failures for the month concerned.

Then you suddenly heard the boss said to someone ... "do not cherry pick"! You asked "what does cherry pick" mean?

If you had the opportunity of visiting a cherry farm during the harvesting season you will know what it means. You would pick the ripe cherries that you deemed tasty and ideal from the tree. You would ignore the other cherries though they may be just as good or they may not. Thus, "cherry picking" means selective picking of cherries of preference or choice. Thus, it is indeed a bias decision by the picker and to the picker's advantage and benefit.

Thus, in management jargon, it means that the person is bias and made decision which is to his own selfish advantage whilst ignoring those which are just as good if not better.

"Cherry picking" is normally used in the negative sense as a caution statement so that the person should be objective in decision making and in giving feedback and not bias or prejudice or ignoring other evidences that may help in better decision making or feedback.

Thus in making a decision or giving a view, it is important that a Manager considers all aspects of facts, circumstances and evidences before arriving to a conclusion. Thus, it must be an informed decision or view.

Post a Comment