Cheryl Strauss Einhorn suggests four questions before you make a decision
Question 1: “What decision today will still make sense a year from now?”
- Encourages leaders to think beyond immediate outcomes to long-term impacts—a hallmark of systemic feedback awareness.
- Avoids the “Fixes That Fail” systems thinking archetype by warning against quick wins that may erode resilience.
Question 2: “If this decision were held up as an example of our leadership, what would it teach?”
- Promotes reflection on organisational identity, not just efficiency.
- Invites mental model awareness—leaders are asked to think about the beliefs and assumptions their decisions express and reinforce.
Question 3: “What if this isn’t the storm—what if it’s the climate?”
- Transitions from viewing disruptions as isolated “events” to viewing them as part of a systemic pattern or structure.
- Encourages adaptation, not reaction—essential for dynamic systems operating in VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environments.
Question 4: “What’s the cost of waiting?”
- Engages with the trade-off between precision and momentum, recognizing that inaction also has feedback effects (lost trust, momentum, competitive edge).
- Encourages deliberate risk framing, moving beyond simplistic cost-benefit analysis.