The first move of an independent thinker is to question ideas and opinions instead of automatically accepting them.
Popular, powerful, and loud voices don’t sway them much.
They form their own opinions and make decisions based on reasoning, evidence, and reflection.
But it doesn’t mean they reject all authority. Or believe that they are always right. They just commit to thinking for themselves before deciding what they believe.
Good leaders think independently to make better decisions, to protect themselves from acting on misinformation, and to instill more confidence in what they believe.
Their natural tendency is to ask why and how things are true, recognize and fight against their biases, and be open to changing their minds when presented with better information.
Most of all, they are comfortable standing apart from the crowd.
Are you an independent thinker? Here’s a simple test. If someone knows your age, leadership position, salary, political party, or zip code, can they predict your beliefs across a variety of personal, social, and organizational topics?
A strong ideology grounded in values doesn’t produce Stepford opinions and views. A commitment to independent thinking requires a reasoning process that treats every issue and topic as a standalone.
Engaging with the ideas, information, and evidence available and using them to form an opinion or judgment uniquely your own is the very definition of independence.
Trusting your own judgment in analyzing and critically evaluating information isn’t always easy. Deferring to experts and advocates saves time and energy.
Validating ideas for yourself, probing assumptions, and stress-testing claims is a mindset that doesn’t always make leaders popular or painless to work with.
But it allows leaders to better navigate uncertainty, solve complex problems more creatively, and challenge outdated practices.
Leaders who push an independent thinking mindset throughout the organization or team are rewarded with higher engagement and ownership over problems.
Open-minded discussions and debates laced with independent thinking lead to higher-quality decisions, even if they take more time and struggle.
In a world of copycats and worshippers of social proof, independent thinking is becoming more rare and more valuable.
Most leaders would like to think of themselves as independent thinkers, but many wouldn’t pass the test if how they reached their decisions and opinions were examined more closely.
That’s a problem.
Hard choices and decisions that are responsible and not just convenient are what make a team and culture great. That requires independent thinking.
It’s time to put on the independent thinking hat and leave it there. You and your team will be better for it.
