Connecting to Admired Leadership
On Thinking Gray
Episode Summary
A conversation with Admired Leadership Partner & Executive Coach, Carolynne Thomas and Wes Bender from CRA | Admired Leadership, exploring the critical leadership skill of thinking in gray rather than defaulting to black-and-white decision-making. Drawing from real organizational experiences and practical frameworks, this session challenges the conventional wisdom that equates leadership strength with speed of decision-making. Carolyn provides actionable strategies for making higher-quality decisions by embracing complexity, gathering diverse perspectives, and understanding when to decide quickly versus when to maintain optionality.
Episode Notes
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Key Highlights
- Reframe speed vs. quality: Leadership strength isn't about making fast decisions - it's about making quality decisions informed by the right people, aligned with values, and considering second-order consequences
- ASAP vs. ALAP framework: Distinguish between decisions that must be made "as soon as possible" (low consequences or time-sensitive) versus "as late as possible" (complex decisions where maintaining optionality reveals better options over time)
- The dangers of binary thinking: Black-and-white decision-making leads to missing facts, flip-flopping on decisions later, and ignoring your own judgment in favor of perceived group wisdom
- Train yourself to ask questions first: Instead of immediately answering "yes" or "no" to requests, develop the habit of responding with questions like "What needs to be true for this to happen?" to create space for better thinking
- Ladder of autonomy for teams: Help staff understand when to seek input (political decisions, precedent-setting, budget thresholds) versus when they have autonomy to act, preventing the "checkbox mentality" while ensuring quality decisions
Notable Quotes
- "We confuse strength of leadership with decisiveness, and really decisiveness meaning speed of decision-making. We think we need to know the right answer and say it quickly, and if we can't, it makes us look weak."
- "When people say 'I don't have time to think in the gray,' my reaction is you don't have time not to, because you're going to end up going back on decisions you made."
- "Train yourself to never answer a definitive question at the beginning, and start asking questions. If somebody says 'Do you think we should do this?' do not say yes or no."
- "Quality decisions often come down to: Have you gotten the right people to weigh in on it? Options will reveal themselves over time if you're not trying to be fast and decisive."
- "Values-driven leaders are often the most admired leaders. Spend time thinking about how you can be a values-driven leader too."
Featured Speakers
- Carolynne Thomas is a Partner & Executive Coach at CRA | Admired Leadership, known for her expertise in organizational culture transformation and strategic decision-making. With extensive experience helping leadership teams articulate and implement cultural change, she exemplifies the ability to operate in gray areas while maintaining clarity on values and outcomes. Her work focuses on creating experiences that help leaders and teams align around shared objectives.
- Wes Bender serves as a facilitator and thought leadership coordinator at CRA | Admired Leadership, helping to connect practical leadership insights with real-world application through webinars and educational content.
Resources Mentioned