Simpleminded

Alberto followed his sentence about being scared with this one: “I was simpleminded.”

“Simpleminded” does not mean stupid. One does not climb to the top of a corporation by being stupid. In fact, one could say that Alberto was quite brilliant. When it came to finance, he had a complex mental map that allowed him to do things others could not do. Alberto could take the most difficult financial challenges and come up with brilliant ways to move forward.

In this context, “simpleminded” means being unsophisticated about something. It means being unaware and failing to see those parts of reality that might be important to us.

Think about leaving your hometown for a far-off location. I was raised in the United States and grew up eating grilled cheese sandwiches and playing basketball. I believed my hometown was the center of the world. I remember my first trip to India. I was stunned at the poverty; exhilarated by the spirituality; stimulated by the colors; and fascinated by the economics, the politics, and the religions. I soon realized that my beliefs were a reflection of my geography. From my new experiences, I simultaneously acquired a more complex mental map and an awareness of my simplemindedness.

Alberto was “simpleminded” because he had a limited mental map when it came to organizations. He made conventional assumptions about organizations, leadership, and people. Folks who make conventional assumptions tend to believe the things listed in Table 2.1.

Where do such assumptions come from? They come from experience. They also come from thousands of studies. The list in Table 2.1 reflects reality. Much of the time, people behave according to these assumptions. Alberto gained these assumptions from both his training in finance and from his daily experiences in the professional world. Unfortunately, making these kinds of assumptions nearly led him to failure. He could not create positive change by enacting his conventional or “simpleminded” assumptions.