“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.”
— Robert Frost, “Mending Wall”
Son, second order thinking, simply put is the art of thinking not only about the consequences of an action, but also about consequences of consequences.
Everyone can manage first-order thinking, which is just considering the immediate anticipated result of an action. It’s simple and quick, usually requiring little effort. By comparison, second-order thinking is more complex and time-consuming. The fact that it is difficult and unusual is what makes the ability to do it such a powerful advantage.
How to practice it - learn to play chess. learn technical analysis and macroeconomics.
Unless we know why someone made a decision, we can’t safely change it or conclude that they were wrong.
The fact is most people are lazy and if they put a system in place there must be good enough reason for it be there and the way it is. Always start with this assumption.
The first step before modifying an aspect of any system is to understand it. Observe it in full. Note how it interconnects with other aspects, including ones that might not be linked to you personally.
Learn how it works, and then propose your change.
Decision making skill - Decisions are often of two types, reversible or irreversible.
If the decision is reversible, you shouldn’t be worried about having hundreds of meetings for the same. However when it is latter, you better slow down the whole process and ensure that we have sufficient and more information and data to arrive at the decision.
The current decision making situation I am in, belongs to the second category.