….Newish to my radar, the verb of ‘overthinking [1]‘. …Is this a new malaise or just a rework of the old paralysis by analysis? By now self-awareness and reflection are promoted as desirable leadership traits, but not to the point of the ‘just can’t make a decision’ variety. Which brings me to question: Are self-reflection and action orientation, by and large, mutually exclusive? Come to think of it (no pun intended) it’s a long time since I heard of any senior corporate leader described as a bit ‘cerebral’, or of anyone referred to as “..the thinking man’s…” anything in fact. I was probably out of consulting too long. In that business, claiming the high ground in terms of intellectual capital or thought leadership is a key business driver for most firms in one guise or another.
While onto thinking, if you’re in Zuerich anytime soon, take in the Rodin exhibition [2]at the Kunsthaus if you can, including his iconic, if often satirised, The Thinker. It’s on until 13th May. I saw this at the Royal Academy in London last year and it’s a fantastic exhibition, not least for his life story, including breakthrough originality, prolific output, and the ups and downs he traversed before his eventual success.