Malcolm Gladwell tells security folks: Don't think too much

Malcolm Gladwell tells security folks: Don’t think too much

by Elinor Mills

Malcolm Gladwell had a message for the hordes of security professionals attending RSA 2008 here on Thursday–too much information can impair your judgment.

That’s one of the central themes in his bestselling book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. “The ability to show judgment, to exercise judgment is just about the most important thing any decision maker can possess,” he said in his keynote addresses.

He then gave examples of cases in which overthinking and careful analysis have led to bad consequences.