The Next Next Common Sense
Leaders cultivate cognitive diversity by:
• Hiring for complementary thinking styles, not just similar backgrounds • Creating team structures that integrate different perspectives • Establishing processes that deliberately incorporate diverse viewpoints • Rewarding constructive disagreement rather than artificial consensus • Building personal connections that enable productive cognitive conflict The paradox of creative mental modeling is that the most powerful insights often come not from individual genius but from the collision of different mental models in a psychologically safe environment. Guidelines for Respecting Mental Models Respecting mental models—both yours and others'—is fundamental to effective leadership in complex environments. Here are concrete guide- lines for putting this principle into practice:
1. Recognize the Limits of Coercion
You cannot force interpretations on others and expect genuine align- ment. When you try to mandate a particular mental model, you may get compliance but rarely commitment. Instead of declaring "This is how we must see this situation," try ask- ing "How are you seeing this situation?" and then find bridges between different perspectives. Google learned this lesson when attempting to establish Google+ as a Facebook competitor. Despite tremendous resources and executive mandates, they couldn't force users to adopt their mental model of social networking. By
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