Self Doubt Can Make You Stronger
The Thinker by Auguste Rodin
Word Count: About 500, approximate reading time 3 to 4 minutes. Please share your thoughts in the comments. Please be kind and subscribe to my newsletter.
A key trait of successful leaders is their ability to challenge their decision-making process. Our good decisions lead to opportunities to make more. These decisions will be more complex and have more significant ramifications as careers progress. Human nature often works against us as we make decisions. The human brain has evolved to be a pattern recognition engine. We quickly evaluate situations, match them to previous experience, and apply that experience as we make decisions. No two situations are the same, and our understanding must adapt to the current reality.
In business, after encountering multiple similar events, we develop playbooks. Over time the playbooks become methodology. In the worst cases, methodology becomes unquestioned dogma. I worked with one company where managers who could demonstrate they followed the process and successfully passed through all of the checkpoints were rewarded for successfully completing a project. It did not matter whether the project delivered the original value proposition. Over time the checkpoint metrics became a poor proxy for creating value.
As we make decisions, we need to encourage some self-doubt. As described by Jim VanderHei in his article on Axios, self-doubt can lead to better outcomes. We cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed with doubt. It is just as important to avoid believing we always have the correct answer when facing a new challenge.
Book Review
The Great Mental Models Volume 3: Systems and Mathematics
This is the last book in a three-volume set. The other volumes in the series are The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts and The Great Mental Models Volume 2: Physics, Chemistry and Biology. As a group, these books provide a valuable resource for decision-making. The books cover complex subjects at a very high level. In some sense, this is disappointing. They do not give enough examples to show how to apply them to different situations. I found volume two was the strongest of the three. The books will not teach you how to make decisions using any of the models. I do not think that is the primary purpose or the value the series represents. You can use the books to explore a problem from different perspectives. Use models as presented to introduce a healthy level of self-doubt so that you explore all options before deciding on a specific course.
These books may be helpful if you are looking for tools to jumpstart your critical thinking skills.
What I'm Up To
Focusing on pre-work as I prepare to start a new engagement. Along with some colleagues, we will be performing an M&A health check as our client moves through a key phase gate of the integration program
Quote of the Week
"I think high self-esteem is overrated. A little low self-esteem is actually quite good...Maybe you're not the best, so you should work a little harder."
– Jay Leno
The Leader With A Thousand Faces is available on Amazon.
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