Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

I was scanning my Twitter feed the other day when I saw the following Tweet from Dan Rockwell.

It’s too late if you’re absolutely certain. #leadership

— Dan Rockwell (@Leadershipfreak) September 17, 2014

There's a ton of wisdom in those seven words.

Admittedly, there's a natural tension between action and analysis. With better analysis, one should expect better actions.  So, why not seek additional analysis? More facts? More data?

I'm not arguing against due diligence. But there's a flaw in thinking that more analysis is always better.

Most problems and situations are unique and multi-faceted.  You'll find data. But rarely any that points to an infallible decision. 

Worse yet, one can get lost in research, giving a false sense of hard work that in reality is inefficiency at best, or at worst, nothing more than procrastication. 

Most importantly, true innovation has no blueprint. At some point, you'll have to tip-toe past certainty and dip your toes into the dark waters of the unknown. 

Dan hit the nail on the head. By the time you are certain of something, it isn't a problem any more. The value of action and decision has evaporated, as the true course of action is there for anyone to see. 

As leaders, we don't have the luxury of certainty. 

If certainty even exists.