Rethinking

Definition

Rethinking is the deliberate practice of re-examining one's accepted beliefs, particularly those about leadership, management, and how problems can be solved. It is not merely brainstorming or creative thinking, but rather an intentional "jarring of habitual thought processes out of their ruts." By rethinking assumptions—especially unexamined conventional wisdom—leaders expand the mental options available to them and often discover solutions they previously could not see.

In the Book

In Chapter 2, Goldsmith presents Rethinking as foundational to the entire Enterprise Thinking approach. He illustrates it through the story of Sheila, a manager who was frustrated with a subordinate's late work assignments and initially blamed the employee's performance. When she rethought her assumption—shifting her focus from "this employee can't handle simple tasks" to looking at systems and structures—she realized her subordinate lacked a properly functioning computer. A simple equipment upgrade solved the persistent problem within days.

Goldsmith identifies several key areas where rethinking proves essential: the false dichotomy between leadership and management (historically treated as separate disciplines but actually interconnected), the nature of thinking itself, the value of time spent thinking before acting, and questioning why traditional education fails to teach decision-making tools. He emphasizes that rethinking is not quick or easy—it requires taking time to digest counterintuitive ideas—but the payoff is that "every leader can open more doors of opportunity by rethinking their beliefs."

Why It Matters

Rethinking is the doorway to better decision-making because most leaders operate on assumptions inherited from generations or uncritically adopted from conventional wisdom. Without rethinking, the scope of solutions available to a leader is limited to the options visible from within their current belief structure. By deliberately challenging these beliefs—especially about what is fixed versus changeable—leaders gain access to entirely new solution spaces. This is particularly powerful in organizational contexts where inherited mental models (e.g., "this problem is about people when it's actually about systems") lead to chronic failures.