You’re stuck between two options, going back and forth, trying to figure out the “right” choice. Should you hire or not? Change systems or stay the same? Restructure or keep things as they are? The more you think about it, the more stuck you feel.
It’s easy to assume the answer is hidden somewhere between those two choices, but often, that’s the real problem. You’re treating a complex decision as if it only has two possible paths.
In this quick lesson, I share five practical strategies to help you break out of binary thinking and expand your options.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll know how to approach decisions more creatively, uncover better solutions, and move forward with greater confidence, without feeling stuck between “either” and “or.”
Conversation Topics
- (00:00) Why either-or thinking keeps you stuck in tough decisions
- (00:59) How binary thinking limits better, more creative solutions
- (01:30) Strategy 1: Generate “options within options” to expand your choices
- (03:03) Strategy 2: Challenge the assumptions behind your choices
- (03:58) Strategy 3: Sequence decisions instead of treating them as permanent
- (04:20) [Extended Episode] Strategy 4: Create hybrid solutions that combine the best of both options
- (04:44) [Extended Episode] Strategy 5: Reframe decisions from different stakeholder perspectives
- (05:20) How to recognize when you’re stuck in either-or thinking
- (05:40) Your challenge: Apply one strategy to a current decision
- (06:00) Why better decisions come from expanding, not narrowing, your options
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The Modern Manager is a leadership podcast for rockstar managers who want to create a working environment where people thrive and great work gets done.
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What is The Modern Manager?
Practical management skills you can use this week. Host Mamie Kanfer Stewart helps managers close the gap between knowing what good management looks like and actually doing it.
Each week brings either a short solo lesson with one tool you can use right away, or a conversation with an expert on topics like feedback, difficult conversations, delegation, meetings, strategic thinking, team culture, collaboration and using AI at work.
Get new episodes and one-page takeaways by email: https://www.themodernmanager.com