Overcome Stinking Rethinking

My rethinking drove one member of my team nuts. I thought it was the pursuit of excellence. Now I know it’s dangerous.

Stinking rethinking is paralysis.

3 Symptoms of Stinking Rethinking

1. Foot-dragging. People hate undoing and redoing. They wait for certainty.
2. Discussing without deciding. No one pulls the trigger today when you habitually rethink decisions tomorrow.
3. Commitment comes slowly. Uncertainty drains energy.

Decisions aren’t final when leaders are rethinkers.

5 Ways to Overcome Stinking Rethinking

1. Pull the trigger. Set a date to evaluate. What’s working? What could be better? Where is unnecessary friction?
2. Redefine excellence. Excellence is always pursuit, not perfection.
3. Go with 80%. Pursue the last 20% after you launch.
4. Set a deadline. Get the bones in place before you polish the skin.
5. Seek outside feedback early.

When Rethinking is Wise

1. New substantive information emerges.
2. Circumstances change in substantive ways.
3. Faulty thinking is exposed.

Summary

Improvement before movement is ineffective. Make your best decision and take action. Improve as you go.

What types of stinking rethinking have you encountered?

7 Ways to Find Your Highest Point of Clarity during Uncertainty

**This post is inspired by chapter 6 of “Simple Sabotage,” by Galford, Frisch, and Greene.