Strong convictions, loosely held

Recently, I had lunch with my friend, Dan Henderson, during which I mentioned a powerful principle that has resonated with my personal ethos and guided my approach to leadership: "strong convictions, loosely held." Dan, who regularly works with executives and entrepreneurs, loved the principle. I told him that I did not come up with it. I had read about it somewhere a long time ago, and it brilliantly and succinctly captured my personal ethos and approach. At that point, I realized that while I love the phrase, I actually did not know who coined it, and I decided to find out more about its origin. This inspired me to research the phrase and write this short post about it (with assistance from ChatGPT and Bard).

Who coined "Strong convictions, loosely held"?

The phrase "strong convictions, loosely held" is often attributed to Paul Saffo, a futurist and technology forecaster. He used this concept to describe the mindset that individuals should adopt when analyzing complex or uncertain situations, particularly when making predictions about the future. The idea is to hold strong beliefs but be willing to change them when new information or evidence emerges that challenges those beliefs. This mindset promotes flexibility, open-mindedness, and adaptability in a rapidly changing world. It appears that he began promoting this concept during the early 2000s.

The "strong convictions, loosely held" principle is particularly relevant in areas where uncertainty, rapid change, and innovation are prevalent, such as technology and startups, science and research, creative industries, management and leadership, and public policy and social change. In these fields, having strong convictions drives the vision, while being open to change ensures that individuals and organizations remain agile and responsive.

Is it paradoxical?

This principle may seem paradoxical. On the one hand, it is important to be confident in your beliefs. On the other hand, it is also important to be open to new ideas and willing to change your mind if necessary. These two things seem to be in conflict with each other. If you are too rigid in your beliefs, you will never learn anything new or adapt fast enough. But if you are too easily swayed by new ideas or failures, you will never be able to form your own convictions and may give up too easily. The key is to find a balance between confidence and open-mindedness. This balance is not always easy, but it is essential for product leaders and entrepreneurs who are often driven by a vision and strong convictions. It is the strength of our convictions that helps us overcome hurdles and obstacles that are inevitable when creating something new. At the same time, we must also be willing to change when new information, evidence, ideas, and insights are presented to us.

Interestingly, many famously successful people, such as Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Reid Hoffman, have demonstrated or advocated for similar mindsets. While they may not have used the exact phrase "strong convictions, loosely held," their words and actions reflect the essence of the concept. For example, Jeff Bezos, the founder and former CEO of Amazon, once said, "People who are right a lot of the time are people who change their minds a lot." For product leaders and entrepreneurs, the "strong convictions, loosely held" principle can be transformative. It calls for intellectual humility and curiosity, acknowledging that our understanding of the world is constantly evolving.

In my own career, I've found this mindset invaluable when developing new products and growing businesses. By being open to new ideas and prepared to pivot when necessary, one can foster a culture of learning, innovation, and resilience among the teams. This approach has enabled me and my teams to take calculated risks, learn from both successes and failures, and continually iterate on products and strategies.