Today’s 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 in two sentences:

Sometimes the most valuable lessons in decision making come from the places we least expect. Pigs remind us that good judgment is not about knowing everything, but about consistently observing, remembering, discerning, adapting, and choosing well.

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A Surprising Teacher

As a young adult, I absolutely LOVED National Geographic Magazine. Just holding a copy brought me joy because I knew it was chock full of interesting article and fabulous pictures. This morning, I took my brother to the dentist. In the waiting room were stacks of old National Geographic Magazines. I picked up a random copy, turned out to be the September 1978 edition and it did not disappoint.

One article in particular piqued my curiosity: The Joy of Pigs. I expected an entertaining read about an animal we rarely think much about. Instead, it was one exploring decision making.

The article challenged almost every assumption I had inherited about pigs. We have long portrayed them as dirty, greedy, indiscriminate eaters that will consume almost anything placed before them. Yet the stories and research presented a very different picture. Pigs remembered. They solved problems. They learned from experience. They distinguished between alternatives. They adapted to changing circumstances. They communicated with one another through a surprisingly sophisticated range of vocalizations. Before I reached the final page, I realized I was no longer reading about pigs. I was reading about the capabilities that produce good decisions.

Intelligence Is Not Judgment

We often assume that intelligence naturally leads to good judgment. The evidence, both in the animal kingdom and in our own lives, suggests otherwise. Intelligence is a capability. Good decisions are an outcome. One does not automatically produce the other.

History offers no shortage of brilliant people who have made catastrophic decisions. Likewise, many people of perfectly ordinary intellect consistently make wise choices because they have developed the habits that strengthen judgment. They observe carefully. They question assumptions. They recognise patterns. They remember what worked. They distinguish between what matters and what merely attracts attention. Decision quality depends as much on these capabilities as it does on intelligence itself.

Observation Before Action

Good decisions begin with observation. You cannot make sense of a situation you have not first taken the time to understand.

Throughout the article, pigs demonstrated an ability to notice their environment, remember important details, recognise patterns, and use those observations to guide future behaviour. Those are not simply signs of intelligence. They are the raw materials from which sound judgment is built.

It struck me that we often rush to solve problems before we have truly understood them. We seek answers before we have gathered enough evidence to ask better questions. Observation is not passive. It is one of the most active disciplines in effective decision making.

The Power of Discernment

One experiment described in the article offered pigs 243 different vegetables. They rejected 171 of them.

That detail mattered because it dismantled one of our oldest assumptions. We often joke that pigs will eat anything. Apparently, they won’t.

They discriminate. They evaluate. They choose.

Effective decision makers do the same. Judgment is reflected not only in what we pursue but also in what we decline. Every commitment closes the door on countless alternatives, making discernment less about identifying good opportunities and more about recognizing which ones are worthy of our time, energy, and attention.

Learning That Endures

The article was filled with examples of pigs remembering locations, solving recurring problems, and applying previous experience to new situations. They did not simply repeat behaviours. They refined them.

Experience alone is overrated. Everyone accumulates experiences simply by living.

Learning is different. Learning transforms experience into better future decisions. It extracts principles versus simply collecting memories. Without reflection, experience becomes a snapshot in time. With reflection, it becomes a catalyst for learning and growth.

Adapting Without Losing Yourself

Whether locating truffles beneath the soil, opening gates, or adjusting to unfamiliar environments, pigs repeatedly adapted their behaviour while continuing to rely on the capabilities that made them successful. That distinction matters.

Many people mistake adaptation for inconsistency. They are not the same thing. Effective decision makers adjust their approach as circumstances change, but they never stop observing, learning, discerning, and responding. The environment may change. The capabilities that produce good decisions do not.

The Capability Behind Every Good Decision

As I reflected on the article, I realized that observation, discernment, memory, learning, and adaptation are not isolated traits. Together, they strengthen the quality of our thinking before we make a decision.

They do not remove risk, nor do they guarantee success. They simply improve our ability to understand the situation before us, evaluate our options more carefully, and decide more thoughtfully.

The Greatest Irony

For generations, we have used pigs as symbols of poor judgment. We have repeated expressions like “eat like a pig” and “dirty pig” until they became accepted truth. Yet while dismissing pigs, we may have demonstrated one of the most common failures of human judgment ourselves: accepting inherited assumptions without examining the evidence.

That, perhaps, is the article’s greatest lesson.

Good decision making begins before the moment of choice. It begins with the humility to observe carefully, question assumptions, distinguish between alternatives, learn from experience, and adapt when the evidence demands it.

The remarkable thing is that I didn’t expect to find that lesson in a forty-eight-year-old magazine article about pigs.

Strategic Reflection Prompt

Looking back on your most recent difficult decision, was the greatest challenge a lack of information, a lack of discernment, a failure to learn from experience, or something else entirely?

About Giselle

Most costly decisions begin with an inaccurate understanding of the situation.

I’m Giselle Hudson – writer and Pre-Decision Diagnostic Advisor. Most advisors offer solutions before carefully diagnosing the situation. I diagnose first — looking for what isn’t completely visible yet. Once we identify that, everything else becomes clearer, and confident, right action can follow.

Through my daily Strategic Alignment Journal, I explore leadership, decision-making, and the patterns that shape organizations, helping leaders make sense of complexity before committing significant time, money, or resources.

What’s the one thing about your business that frustrates you most — the thing that, despite your best efforts, you can’t seem to resolve?