Intrinsic Thinking Will Help You Be a Stronger Leader

When it comes to understanding how to become the best leader, some thought must be given to the way each member of your team thinks and how it can provide the best opportunities for strong communication and a positive work environment. Referred to as "thinking dimensions," the ways we view ourselves, others, and the world around us play an important role in defining company culture, management styles, and job roles.

What Are the Three Thinking Dimensions?

Emotional Intelligence expert, Mike Poskey, discusses the following three distinct thinking dimensions. These thinking dimensions will provide a solid foundation for hiring and retention.

1. Intrinsic thinking focuses on the uniqueness of the world, the people around you, and yourself.

2. Extrinsic thinking provides a focus on comparisons around you, including comparing strengths and weaknesses with those around you.

3. Systemic thinking is an absolute way of thinking that involves seeing both the people around you and yourself in an ideal way.

The ZERORISK Hiring System uses these three thinking conditions to discover how the candidate views the world and themself. World view relates to intuition and empathy, results orientation and decisiveness, and adherence and organization. Self-view relates to self-awareness and self-expectation.

A Deeper Look at Intrinsic Thinking

Of the three, the richest in value is intrinsic thinking, says Poskey. This quality allows people to see the uniqueness in others and in themselves. When your eyes are open to the unique attributes in your surroundings, you will uncover relationship skills, the ability to connect with others, and a passion for responsibilities on the job. Thinking intrinsically about ourselves reveals attributes like courage, resiliency, how we handle rejection, and our attitudes toward development and growth opportunities. For example, these kinds of attributes can be very beneficial in sales positions.

When managers take the opportunity to invest in employees personally, it will impact turnover and customer satisfaction. Employees typically leave managers rather than leaving jobs and companies. By implementing a high level of intrinsic thinking within customer-facing positions, companies can have a higher retention rate of clients and higher customer satisfaction. Intrinsic thinking gives insight into core motivators, allowing managers to communicate more effectively, align motivations with desirable outcomes, and keep employees engaged in the workplace and within their teams.

How Can Leaders Use This to Make Better Hires?

Taking the time to understand these varying thinking dimensions can help you hire the right fit for your culture. The job role will require hiring managers and future candidates to pay attention to a dominant thinking dimension—one will consistently override the other two in different situations. When you know what is required of the position you're looking to fill and the kind of personality that will fit with the managers and culture, you'll have a better idea of whether or not each candidate will do the job correctly, fit into your unique culture, and be passionate about the role.