#101: How Antifragile Leaders Change Their Minds
Adapting your beliefs is a virtue
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Hey Friends,
Welcome to the 99th edition of my newsletter. Next one is 100, and I’m thinking about making it special :)
A shorter piece today.
I’ve been upgrading my AI-generated career roadmap and changed from Google Forms to another provider, and I like the look and feel of it a lot more. I’m also constantly upgrading the prompts behind it, so you should have better results now.
If you’re a tech person who wants to upgrade your career, give it a try and let me know your feedback.
How Antifragile Leaders Change Their Minds
"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" – John Maynard Keynes
I’ve often been told, during my career, that it’s important to hold on to your values. This is correct, but most of the time, people mistakenly approach their beliefs in the same way, and they stick with them, no matter what new evidence.
Especially in technical fields, rigidity can appear as confidence, but the real strength lies in adaptability and humility. Effective leaders do not simply accept change; they actively seek it. They understand that changing their perspectives in response to new information or unexpected challenges is not a weakness; rather, it is a necessary skill for success in rapidly evolving industries.
Consider the following examples:
Ray Dalio—Embracing Radical Transparency
Dalio is probably one of the most intelligent people in the world, and if you have not read his book, Principles, already, I advise you to do it.
Dalio once relied on hierarchical structures, typical in finance and tech companies, until he realized this model stifled honest, data-driven feedback. By shifting to radical transparency at Bridgewater Associates, he empowered engineers and analysts alike to openly challenge assumptions. This openness rapidly accelerated innovation and problem-solving.
Satya Nadella—Growth Mindset at Microsoft
Originally focused on competitive individualism, Nadella’s shift towards a growth mindset transformed Microsoft’s engineering culture.He prioritized collaboration, experimentation, and learning from failures—elements essential for thriving in technology. This adaptability led Microsoft to unparalleled innovation and renewed market success.
Adam Grant—Embracing Intellectual Humility
Initially believing confidence defined great leaders, Grant shifted his stance after rigorous analysis. He found that technical leaders who embrace curiosity and humility instead of rigid certainty build environments where innovation and resilience flourish.
Why Adaptability Matters for Technical Leaders
Improved Strategic Agility: Quickly adapt technical strategies and decisions based on evolving data and market conditions.
Accelerated Innovation: Cultivate a culture that encourages experimentation, rapid iteration, and continuous improvement.
Stronger Technical Teams: Foster psychological safety, where engineers feel empowered to innovate and voice unconventional solutions.
We see this in our society more and more: people who have such strong convictions that they won’t accept changing their minds even with strong evidence.
But you are not like them; you are an antifragile leader, and you are a rational, adaptable individual.
Training Your Mind for Technical Adaptability
Developing adaptability takes practice, particularly in technology-driven environments. Here are a few steps you could take in your work environment:
Challenge Technical Assumptions: Regularly test your assumptions against fresh data, market shifts, or user feedback.
Practice "Technical Postmortems": Conduct honest reviews after key projects or incidents to openly discuss lessons learned without blame.
Engage Across Disciplines: Deliberately seek ideas from non-technical departments, diverse user groups, or entirely different industries to broaden your problem-solving approach.
In your personal environment, we make a very big mistake, and that is to unfollow people or media that are not thinking the same as we are. This is a sure way to stay in your bubble and not accept different opinions, so I strongly advise you to not do that and to challenge your beliefs as often as you can.
This week, try an exercise: identify one strongly held belief or practice and explore how it might be challenged or evolved. Use ChatGPT and other sources to look for conflicting evidence, especially studies and research papers.
People tend to have a very strong confirmation bias and will only look at or accept the results that agree with their beliefs.
You might be surprised to see that many of the things you strongly believe in have conflicting evidence suggesting the opposite.
True intelligence in leadership isn't about never being wrong; it's about swiftly adapting when proven otherwise.
Stay adaptable and curious.
3. Recommendations:
This guy is an actual scientist and shows you what the best fitness wearables are with actual data. If you’re into health, fitness, and longevity, you should follow him.
This fantastic video tells the story of one of history’s most controversial persons. Who you never knew about. It’s long, but it’s worth it. You can check the shorter version here.
This piece on career growth. A bit harsh but fair.
Well, I hope you liked this edition.
Stay Antifragile,
Leo
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