Leadership Competency #1

Thinking in Essentials - 3/8

NOTE: This module draws from my earlier work under Black Market Leadership. The ideas here predate Chaos Studies in Leadership and form the foundation that made this work possible.

This video outlines the three core takeaways of the Thinking in Essentials module. First, it introduces the distinction between perceptual thinking and conceptual thinking, and explains why leaders who rely too heavily on one fall into predictable traps. Second, it defines the role of essentials—not as a preference, but as a biological and cognitive necessity for leaders operating in complexity, friction, and uncertainty. Third, it introduces the Concept Model, a simple but powerful tool for clarifying priorities, structuring thinking, and improving decision-making, which has been used extensively in strategy, planning, and real-world leadership challenges.