Where you place the centre matters

How a small shift changes the whole decision

This card sits in my lounge. It shows different forms of arches – Florentine, Venetian, Drop – each created by adjusting the underlying geometry, sometimes by moving the centre point from which the circle is drawn.

Move that centre slightly, and the entire arch changes. The distribution of weight, the aesthetic and the strength of the arch all change.

I’ve read a lot of historical fiction over the years, including Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge series, which brings to life the building of medieval cathedrals. In these novels, the master masons obsess over geometry because they know that small changes in where they place the centre of the circle will determine whether the arch holds or fails.

Leadership decisions work the same way

When leaders tell me they’re wrestling with a difficult decision, they often assume the hard part is choosing between options. But I explore something different first: where they’re centring their thinking.

If you set the centre in the short-term operational detail, you’ll draw one kind of arch.

If you move the centre of the decision to the long-term system – the departments involved, other related projects, interdependencies and unintended consequences – you’ll draw another.

If you move the centre again to the human dynamic – the identities, emotions, informal power structures at play – the shape shifts again.

The facts haven’t changed. The people haven’t changed. But the decision begins to look different because the emphasis has moved.

Moving the centre in practice

When I’m working with a senior leader on a high-stakes issue, I rarely ask for more data analysis. Instead, we deliberately move the centre of the thinking and redraw the decision from there.

Sometimes the shift is only a few degrees. But as with those cathedral arches, a small change in geometry can produce a structure that is either far more stable or far more fragile.

So here’s a question for you as you ponder a decision you need to make:

Where have you placed the centre of your current thinking – and what might change if you moved it?

I work one-to-one with senior leaders, helping them build strategies to tackle complex challenges. If you'd like to explore what that could look like for you, you can find out more here.

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