“I define stupidity as behaving in a way that ignores the question: What would happen next? If somebody comes up to you and says, ‘I think I’m going to take a hike in a lightning storm with a copper antenna on my head,’ stupidity replies, ‘That sounds like a really great idea!’
That’s one level of stupidity –personal recklessness. David Brooks argues further in the following sentence of his New York Times column. “Stupidity is the tendency to take actions that hurt you and the people around you.” And that is where stupidity can be dangerous.
Brooks – a conservative and author of books on the human condition — is careful to delineate stupidity from intelligence. He quotes the Italian historian Carlo Cipolla who wrote, “The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.”
Wider Application
While this op-ed critiques recent actions in the Trump administration, it has a wider application to leadership in general. How often do we make decisions without considering the consequences?
Risk is essential to growing a business. While there is good reason to “stick to your knitting,” it can – pardon the pun – hem you in so you do not look for new opportunities. And that’s where a consideration of stupidity is essential.
So, how can we guard against being stupid? (In the interest of honesty, I ask myself this question weekly, okay, daily.)
Lessons to learn
Prepare yourself and your team. Keep abreast of issues. The status quo only provides “status” for the quo in the know. Look out the window at what is happening outside of your organization. What are the factors affecting your performance? How can you capitalize on opportunities?
Seek alternative points of view. A danger that all organizations face is “group think.” We all think a certain way, so we are “certain” of the outcomes. Myopia thrives where dissent is negated or crushed.
Think consequences. Solicit answers to: what happens next? Consider the cost of inaction versus the price of action. What will the benefits be in the short term and long term? Ask people on your time to “red-team” (that is, be contrarian) assumptions and the plans they are based on.
Guard against certainty. “The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,” wrote historian Daniel J. Boorstin. “It is the illusion of knowledge.” Remember that plans seldom go as planned, even when you know the answers. They go awry for various reasons, including false assumptions, poor execution, and unexpected events. While you cannot prepare for the unknown, you prepare for unplanned outcomes. Being humble in what you think you know is essential.
A key theme in Brooks’ op-ed is that acting with stupidity is being stupid; you are only hurting yourself and everything you are trying to do. Such fallibility is undoubtedly part of the human condition, but so too is thinking ahead, preparing for what’s next, and keeping your antennae tuned for variations and reverses that could scuttle your project.
First posted on Forbes.com on 02.00.2025