Smart Is Time-Specific

What looks brilliant today can easily become a disaster tomorrow. Why? Because "smart" has an expiration date.

For example: Promoting from within is smart for culture—until it causes stagnation. Customer-first policies are smart—until they burn out your team.

You can’t avoid these traps just by "thinking harder." Instead, use these four habits to protect yourself from expired wisdom:

• Seek dissent: If everyone in the room agrees, question the decision. As Peter Drucker said, "What everyone knows is usually wrong."

• Cool down: Hot emotions make smart people do stupid things. Step away before deciding.

• Kill artificial urgency: Don't let pressure force a premature choice. Ask, "What happens if we sleep on it?"

• Stay teachable: Even when you’re 100% certain you are right, make it a habit to ask, "What do you think?"

Your past successes can be your biggest blind spots today. Before making your next big move, challenge your own brilliance with one question: “Who is most likely to disagree with this, and have I spoken to them?”