Poor Richard's Junto: management science, entrepreneurship, business ownership, management

This blog dares leaders to do better. We encourage those managers with the wits to change and we exchange ideas in management science to mutual benefit and personal development. This is the place for those leaders who admonish folly and hubris and yet are devoted to continuous mental development, entrepreneurship, business ownership, & business management. As such, let this be a forum for thought leaders, CEOs, and business owners as Ben Franklin once did with the Junto and his almanac.

If two men exchange dollars; each man stands to gain a dollar. However, let these men exchange ideas, and each stands to gain a fortune.

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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Independent Thought; It’s Okay to Think Differently

Mimicking the herd only invites regression to the mean while above average performance requires independence of thought.  Therefore, having other people agree or disagree with you doesn’t make you right or wrong - what is critical is to possess correct analysis and judgment. Feel free to be you.


If interested in improving independent thought; consider the following. To increase analytical accuracy, it helps to approach a complex problem as a gestalt, meaning a configuration or pattern that has specific properties that cannot be derived from the mere summation of its component parts. In other words, objective judgment of a dynamic and complex problem requires more than a checklist in linear mentality; it instead requires the following three cornerstones.

  1. A holistic cognitive perception to view the whole problem and its many facets
  2. A  lattice work of multidisciplinary mental models to apply optimal solutions
  3. A deep awareness of one’s id, bias, assumptions, and beliefs so as to become as objective as possible by applying appropriate filters


These three items can be summarized by saying - you can have a wisdom that defines you above those who merely have book smarts, experience, or public recognition. But, don’t be discouraged should you find that your independence of thought has you at odds with all those of mere conventional wisdom. Happy Thinking.



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