Catalyst 2009: Malcolm Gladwell “Mistakes Leaders Make”

Leadership Lessons from Catalyst 2009: Malcolm Gladwell with “The Mistakes That Leaders Make”

  • Humans tend to overestimate the value of information.
  • We think that if we have more information we will make better decisions…but that’s not always true.
  • It is true that we will have more confidence in our ability to make better decisions when we have more information.
  • The more information we have, the more confident we are in ourselves.
  • Overconfidence in our own knowledge and abilities can lead to disastrous mistakes.
  • “When you are trapped in overconfidence, the world can change around you and you won’t see it.”
  • “In times of crisis, we think we need daring, overly competent and bold leaders. We don’t. What we need is humility.”
  • Action Item: Humble myself and declare my dependence on God each and every day.
  • Action Item: When faced with decisions, seek advice from others.

Next up in the Leadership Lessons from Catalyst 2009 series: Shane Hipps with “The Medium is the Message”

2 Responses to “Catalyst 2009: Malcolm Gladwell “Mistakes Leaders Make””

  1. Betty Short, NY Grandma's Friend October 21, 2009 at 12:14 pm #

    Great message. The only adjustment would be….

    “Action Item: When faced with decisions, seek advice from others” whose dependence is on God each and every day, as well.

    Too often I listen to advice from the wrong sources and count them as experts. Perhaps they are trapped in overconfidence and I didn’t realize that.

    Thank you again, Dave. Truly appreciating these lessons.

  2. Joe Jordan October 21, 2009 at 5:46 pm #

    This one sounds great Dave. Mrs, Betty, Nice addition.

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