In this episode, I sit down with Wendy Smith, one of the world’s leading thinkers on paradox, Both/And Thinking and how leaders can navigate complexity in times of uncertainty. We explore why today’s leaders can no longer rely on simple either-or thinking and why modern organizational life increasingly requires the ability to hold competing ideas, tensions and contradictions at the same time. From AI and geopolitics to self-managing organizations and polarization, leaders are facing tensions that cannot be resolved with simple answers. Wendy explains how paradox thinking can help us work with uncertainty, competing demands and complexity in a rapidly changing world.

💬 “Paradoxes are competing ideas that feel like they’re in a tug of war, but in fact they inform and define each other. If we look underneath our challenges, we see the paradoxical tension. These competing demands can enable and lift each other up — but we have to hold the tension and engage them in a way that helps us see how they benefit, advance and enable each other. In a world of change, plurality and scarcity, leaders can’t hide from these tensions anymore. They’re not either-ors. We need new paradigms for navigating complexity. The shift begins when we stop asking, ‘Which side should we choose?’ and start asking, ‘How might we work with both?’ That shift can invite more complex, creative and sustainable solutions.” – Wendy Smith

Listen and enjoy ... 🎧