It seemed like a silly question.
What’s your secret to being happy in your 40s? a reporter asks actress Jennifer Aniston.
Does she really have to answer this kind of crap? I think to myself. Ms. Aniston answers.
Don’t overthink it.
Great life answer. Great business answer, too.
We know the perils of collective overthinking. We have catch phrases to describe it. Group Think. Analysis Paralysis. Mental Constipation.
We rely on process tools to accelerate thought. Risk Analysis Tables. Decision Matrices. Helpful. And they often foster more paralysis.
When a bunch of my big clients brought in McKinsey and Company for an organizational diagnosis, the answer, down-the-line, was the same:
Inability to make decisions.
Uhuh. Overthinking.