The message embedded in the article is that to be a great leader, you have to think as one and not act as one. The ways outstanding leaders think is a key factor of success, but you must understand their actions and adapt them to your own context.
According to Roger Martin (2007, p3),”Brilliant leaders excel at integrative thinking.” These leaders have the capability to have two opposite ideas in mind, analyze the pros and the cons of each, and create a new idea based on them, but also better than the two anterior ones. This process is definitely the seal of exceptional leaders.
Furthermore, the author compares conventional and integrative thinkers’ attitudes during the four steps of decision making.
Thereby, we can maintain that integrative thinkers always go beyond obviousness to find key factors. Moreover, they conceive multidirectional relationships and not only linear ones. Last but not least, they see all the complexity of a problem, analyze each characteristic and understand the problem in order to find the best answer. Finally, integrative thinkers are not going to choose a known solution as conventional thinkers will do, they will create a new solution from their reflection.
To put in a nutshell, conventional thinkers favour simplicity when integrative thinkers embrace complexity.
In addition, the author warns us, that you have to adapt every solution to a particular context. Indeed, a solution can fit in a situation but also can be a disaster in another one.
What I learned from this article is that you are not born integrative thinker, you become one. It is a skill that can be learnt. Integrative thinking creates options and new solutions by seeking hidden possibilities. Integrative thinkers are not afraid of any situation; they will find a way to solve problems based on data. Integrative thinker best qualities are his ability to synthesize information and to generate a case-to-case adapted solution. I also learned that I have to be careful in my