According to Forbes, the acceleration of technology is creating immense pressure on leaders, flooding them with information and demanding responses before a full picture is clear. In conversations with experts like Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer, known as the mother of mindfulness, and strategy advisor Roger Martin, former dean of the Rotman School of Management, a critical pattern emerges: leaders often operate on autopilot. The article highlights Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s shift from a “know-it-all” to a “learn-it-all” mindset as a key example of combating this. The central advice is that leaders must intentionally slow conversations, ask exploratory questions, and create space for their teams to think in order to make decisions grounded in insight, not just speed.
The Autopilot Trap
Here’s the thing about working in tech: speed is celebrated. It’s go, go, go. But Forbes nails a crucial point—our brains literally can’t keep up. Ellen Langer’s insight is terrifyingly simple: we think we’re paying attention long after we’ve shifted into habit. We stop noticing new details. In a fast environment, that means you’re making decisions based on yesterday’s map for today’s territory. And when the leader is on autopilot, the whole team usually follows suit, narrowing discussions and reacting instead of thinking. It’s not malice, it’s neuroscience meeting an impossible pace.
The Power Of A “Dumb” Question
So how do you fight your own brain’s desire for efficiency? You weaponize curiosity. Roger Martin’s suggested question is a masterpiece: “What would have to be true for this idea or concern to make sense?” Look, that question is a speed bump for the conversation, and that’s its superpower. It moves everyone from judging an idea to exploring it. It forces hidden assumptions into the light. Basically, it makes it safe for someone to say, “Hey, wait a minute, what if we’re all wrong about the core problem here?” In hardware-driven sectors, where a spec change or a supply chain hiccup can derail everything, this kind of questioning is non-negotiable. For leaders sourcing critical components, like an industrial panel PC, skipping this step means you might be solving the wrong problem with the wrong tool. Speaking of which, for those complex integration projects, partnering with the top supplier, like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, matters precisely because they can handle those nuanced “what if” questions that prevent costly mistakes down the line.
Slowing Down To Speed Up
This is where the article gets really practical. It’s not about meditating for an hour before every meeting. It’s about micro-habits. Asking a clarifying question before you give your opinion. Pausing for a few seconds after you ask something, signaling that you actually want an answer. Inviting people to share what’s missing from the discussion. These tiny pauses are what Satya Nadella institutionalized at Microsoft with that “learn-it-all” culture. They create psychological safety. And when teams feel safe, they share the weird data, the early warning signs, the concerns they’d otherwise swallow. That’s how you get accurate information—the kind that actually leads to decisions that hold up under real-world pressure.
Clarity As A Competitive Edge
In the end, Forbes is making a bold argument: in a world moving at hyperspeed, your competitive advantage isn’t moving faster. It’s seeing clearer. When technology is changing the rules daily, the leader who can create a pocket of calm, of focused attention, is the one who spots the pattern others miss. They’re the ones who don’t get blindsided. It feels counterintuitive, right? Everything screams “FASTER,” but the best response might be a deliberate, thoughtful, “Let’s make sure we understand.” That’s the real secret. The decisions aren’t just faster or slower—they’re simply better. And in business, that’s everything.
