Leadership Competency #1

Thinking in Essentials - 5/8

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 explains why thinking in essentials is not optional for leaders—it is a cognitive necessity. Human mental capacity is limited, and when people are overloaded with information, focus, retention, and execution break down. Leaders who fail to account for this overwhelm their teams and lose effectiveness.

Drawing on Ayn Rand’s concept of crow epistemology, the video shows how both individuals and teams can only hold a small number of ideas at once. Essentials solve this problem by stripping away non-critical details and focusing attention on what truly defines and drives an outcome. Effective leaders communicate and plan using a small number of core elements—typically two to five—organized into clear hierarchies. This approach enables clarity, memory, alignment, and action in environments filled with noise, pressure, and competing demands.