Take much of what you know about how the best executives make decisions. Now, forget it. For instance, we all "know" that tight deadlines lead to inspiration. Except they often don't. Instead, they typically are counterproductive—making people less creative precisely when they need to be. Or most of us assume that when we try to solve problems, we're drawing on the logical parts of our brains. But, in fact, great strategists seem to draw on the emotional and intuitive parts of their brain much more. 　　Here' s a closer look at some of the discoveries researchers have made. 　　Want innovation? Be wary of deadlines. 　　We often think a deadline can help us shake off inertia and focus on getting a job done. But the brain research suggests precisely the opposite is true. A deadline, instead, more often limits our thinking and can lead to much worse decision making. 　　Richard Boyatzis is a professor in Case Western Reserve University. He—along with others—has found that a tight deadline increases people's urgency and stress levels. "The research shows us that the more stressful a deadline is, the less open you are to other ways of approaching the problem,'' he says. "The very moments when in organizations we want people to think outside the box, they can' t even see the box." 　　Does that mean companies should get rid of deadlines? In most cases, that's not realistic. So Srini Pillay, an assistant clinical professor at Harvard Medical School, suggests that companies help employees reduce stress and access the creative parts of the brain even when they're under pressure. 　　Big unknowns lead to bad choices. 　　The ticking clock of a deadline isn't the only kind of pressure that makes for bad decisions. So does uncertainty, such as feeling that your job or your company's future is under threat. 　　Srini Pillay cites a study that discovered that feelings of uncertainty activated brain centers associated with anxiety and disgust, and that such concerns naturally lead to certain kinds of decisions. "In times of uncertainty," he says, "you start acting out of that sense of doom and gloom." 　　Good thinkers look past facts. 　　Everybody is aware of the revered image of the hardheaded decision maker, who goes after cold facts. But researchers are finding the truth is much more complex: The best leaders seem to lean on their emotions much more than logic. Roderick Gilkey, a professor of management at Emory University, conducted a study with colleagues to look at what happens when executives are making strategic decisions. 　　For example, a good strategic thinker would pay attention to emotional reaction and think through the full, long-term impact of the cuts on things like employee morale, retention and productivity. The result might be a different way of improving profitability. "When you're making a decision in an organization, you also need to think about people and their reactions," says David Rock, director of the research organization NeuroLeadership Institute. "A lot of the strategies that go wrong are because managers haven't thought through what happens when this hits people." 　　[A]in uncertain situations, you make reactions based on the sense of pessimism. 　　[B]companies should get rid of deadlines. 　　[C]firms help employees keep the creative part of the brain active. 　　[D]when making decisions, you should have a good capacity to look at a problem through other people's eyes. 　　[E]what happens when executives are making decisions. 　　[F]a deadline increases your stress of finding ways of solving the problems. 　　[G]feelings of uncertainty activates brain centers associated with anxiety and disgust.