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Is this Decision Asymmetrical?
Asking “Is this decision asymmetrical?” is a vital mental model for risk management and strategy. Before discussing strategy, before discussing execution, before discussing budgets, restructuring, hiring, expansion, partnerships, marketing campaigns, software purchases, or new opportunities, the question to ask is: Is this decision asymmetrical? Most leaders spend considerable time trying to determine whether a decision…
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The Speed vs. Clarity Trap
My tag-line is ‘Clarify BEFORE you Amplify’. It’s the foundation on which I live my life, steer my solo profession and help clients. Yet clarity is not a go-to for most business owners. They may speak about needing clarity but the reality is they want results quickly and getting clear first takes too long. Paying…
Alignment, business diagnostics, business growth, clarify before you amplify, clarity first, decision making, execution matters, high stakes decisions, Leadership Thinking, leadership under pressure, operational excellence, organizational clarity, reduce risk, strategic clarity, strategy before execution -
Jumping to conclusions without fully understanding the problem is one of the most expensive habits in business
The brain is wired for speed, not accuracy. Faced with uncertainty, pressure, or the need to appear decisive, it reaches for the nearest explanation and calls it a conclusion. That conclusion often feels logical, even strategic, but it is frequently built on incomplete information, unchecked assumptions, or surface-level observations. The result is a quiet but…
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Verbal processing without structural change = stagnation
There are conversations that feel productive while they’re happening. Everyone is engaged and able to say something about what is being discussed. You leave those conversations with a sense that the work has started. You are clear on what needs to be done and you are pumped that the plan in place will work. But…
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Always Overestimate the Time it Takes to Complete a Task or Project
Chin-Ning Chu is one of my favorite authors. I first heard about her, when Dan Kennedy recommended Thick Face Black Heart as an essential read in cultivating the right mindset. The book fuses the wisdom of the East and West, and explores how ancient Asian battle strategies and cultural mindsets can be applied today to…

