Careful Thinking: A Foundational Skill for Ultra Leaders

Tim was faced with a pivotal decision that would impact the future of his company. They were considering a major acquisition that promised rapid growth but came with significant risks. His usual inclination was to move quickly and capitalize on the opportunity. This time, however, he decided to take a step back and thoroughly evaluate the situation. He gathered input from various stakeholders, analyzed data meticulously, and considered both short-term and long-term implications. This process took several weeks, but in the end, he made an informed decision that safeguarded the company's future. This experience taught him the immense value of careful thinking in leadership.?

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The Importance of Careful Thinking?

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Careful thinking is a cornerstone of effective leadership. Careful thinking is the capacity to find meaning in confusion, to think strategically, and to generate new and creative opportunities to address challenges. Careful thinking involves being able to encounter confusion, holding multiple pieces of information in memory at any given time, and analyzing each piece and understanding the relationship among the data points in order to lessen confusion.?

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Leaders who practice careful thinking are better equipped to navigate complex challenges and make decisions that drive sustainable success. And I’ve got receipts to back up my claim:?

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1. Research from McKinsey & Company shows that organizations with leaders who exhibit careful thinking are 2.5 times more likely to outperform their peers in terms of financial performance.? ?
2. A survey by Deloitte found that 62% of high-performing companies attribute their success to leaders who prioritize careful, strategic decision-making.? ?
3. According to a study by Harvard Business Review, 71% of executives believe that careful thinking is the most critical skill for leadership success.?

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Cultivating Careful Thinking?

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The problem, however, is that careful thinking is not easy or automatic, and it does not come to most people naturally. For most of us, our thoughts focus on the short- term, on what’s next. We think about the tasks before us today, and those we need to complete in a week, month, or quarter. Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman refers to this tendency to only see what is in front of us as the “spotlight” effect. What’s more, when our thinking is undisciplined, we are more likely to be reactive, with our decisions and actions influenced by our inability to understand and manage our emotions.?

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The combined implication of these tendencies is that we experience a gap between strategic thinking and intelligent action. We succumb to a pattern of thinking and acting that is careless and counterproductive to engaging others and driving successful change. We tend toward the obvious and the expedient. When we are unable to think carefully and plan strategically, we rely on old solutions for current situations, resulting in a “ready, fire, aim” mentality — aiming only after we have already fired.?

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If careful thinking does not come naturally to us, how do we cultivate it on an organizational level??

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We’ve developed a three-step inquiry model to facilitate careful thinking.? It can be useful for you to think through a situation and then take action that moves you beyond usual and ordinary toward your best possible outcome.??

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Step 1: AIM – Be Present & Observant?

• What’s the situation??
• What’s the best possible outcome??
• What’s in the way??
• What absolutely must happen?? ?

Step 2: ALIGN – Be Creative & Innovative?

• What are the options for moving forward??
• Which option gets closest to the best possible outcome??

? Step 3: ACT– Be Strategic & Purposeful?

• What will we do? (What’s the plan?)?
• What’s the simplest, best, next step??

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Careful thinking is a foundational skill for ultra leadership that goes beyond usual and ordinary, empowering you to navigate complexity, mitigate risks, and achieve sustainable success. By developing a capacity for more careful thinking, you can drive your organization toward a better future.?

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How do you ensure that careful thinking is integrated into your decision-making process, and what impact has it had on your organization's success??

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Cheers,?

Greg?

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Sources:??

1. Harvard Business Review. (n.d.). “The Skills Leaders Need at Every Level”. Retrieved from HBR website.?
2. McKinsey & Company. (n.d.). Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills. Retrieved from McKinsey website.?
3. Deloitte. (n.d.). The Leadership Premium: How Companies Win the Confidence of Investors. Retrieved from Deloitte website.?

About the Author?

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Dr. Greg Giuliano is an advisor and executive coach to senior executives and teams all over the world, designing change leadership and team development strategies to lead organizational transformation. His mission is to help leaders and teams grow their capacity to enable positive disruption for markets, organizations, teams, and individuals.??

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Greg is the author of the #1 Amazon Bestsellers The Next Normal, Ultra Leadership, and The Hero’s Journey: Toward a More Authentic Leadership.?

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