--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Decision making brings together many of…" description: "\"“Decision making brings together many of the finest traits of contrarian leadership--thinking gray, thinking free, artful listening, delegating authori..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c3/steven-b-sample-75327_decision-making_decision-making-brings-together-many-of_543735.jpg" --- # Decision making brings together many of the finest traits… ![“Decision making brings together many of the finest traits of contrarian leadership--thinking gray, thinking free, artful listening, delegating authority while retaining ultimate responsibility,artful procrastination, ignoring sunk costs, taking luck into account, and listening to one's inner…” quote by Steven B. Sample](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c3/steven-b-sample-75327_decision-making_decision-making-brings-together-many-of_543735.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c3/steven-b-sample-75327_decision-making_decision-making-brings-together-many-of_543735.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c3/steven-b-sample-75327_decision-making_decision-making-brings-together-many-of_543735.jpg) > ““Decision making brings together many of the finest traits of contrarian leadership--thinking gray, thinking free, artful listening, delegating authority while retaining ultimate responsibility,artful procrastination, ignoring sunk costs, taking luck into account, and listening to one's inner voice. Weaving these traits together is an art itself. When it is done well, the result is a thing of beauty and a powerful tool for effective leadership.”” [Steven B. Sample](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-b-sample/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective leadership blends contrarian thinking, independent listening, delegated authority, and willingness to ignore sunk costs, creating a powerful, beautiful outcome. **In simple terms:** Leadership mixes bold thinking, listening, and delegation. Key Takeaway Combine bold ideas with listening and delegation. Themes leadership contrarian thinking delegation decision making responsibility Mood inspired determined Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - team meetings - crisis response - strategic planning - innovation workshops Key Concepts strategic thinking psychology of leadership risk management Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance boldness with team cohesion? - When should you trust intuition over data? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on contrarian traits may cause conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contrarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrarian/) [Contrarian Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrarian-leadership-4540022/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Effective leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effective-leadership/) [Inner voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-voice/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Leadership Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-thinking-4540024/) [Leadership-characteristics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-characteristics/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Traits Contrarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traits-contrarian-4540023/) ## Related quotes > [“A manager’s emotional commitment is worth more than their financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/a-manager-s-emotional-commitment-is-worth-more-than-their-financial/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“When you’re a manager, you work for your company. When you’re a leader, your company works for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/when-you-re-a-manager-you-work-for-your-company-when-you-re-a-leader/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“The purpose of leadership is to change the world around you in the name of your values, so you can live those values more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/the-purpose-of-leadership-is-to-change-the-world-around-you-in-the/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“The high quality of a company’s customer experience rarely has anything to do with the high price of their product.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/the-high-quality-of-a-company-s-customer-experience-rarely-has/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“Leaders make a lot of mistakes but they admit those mistakes to themselves and change because of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/leaders-make-a-lot-of-mistakes-but-they-admit-those-mistakes-to/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“Emotional commitment means unchecked, unvarnished devotion to the company and its success; any legendary organizational performance is the result of emotionally committed managers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/emotional-commitment-means-unchecked-unvarnished-devotion-to-the/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“The myth of management is that your personal values are irrelevant or inappropriate at work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/the-myth-of-management-is-that-your-personal-values-are-irrelevant-or/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“The heart of a company’s performance is hardwired to the hearts of its managers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/the-heart-of-a-company-s-performance-is-hardwired-to-the-hearts-of/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“What managers want most from companies they stop themselves from getting. What companies want most from managers they stop them from giving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/what-managers-want-most-from-companies-they-stop-themselves-from/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“Being relevant to your customers only when you’re trying to sell something means choosing to be irrelevant to them for the rest of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/being-relevant-to-your-customers-only-when-you-re-trying-to-sell/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“Human behavior is only unpredictable and dangerous if you don’t start from humanity in the first place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/human-behavior-is-only-unpredictable-and-dangerous-if-you-don-t-start/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“The economy is in ruins! Bottom line? Good management will defeat a bad economy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/the-economy-is-in-ruins-bottom-line-good-management-will-defeat-a-bad/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“When you don’t know what true for you, everyone else has unusual influence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/when-you-don-t-know-what-true-for-you-everyone-else-has-unusual/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“You can stuff yourself with emotional fulfillment until it’s dribbling down your chin & your ego will quickly chomp it down and demand more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/you-can-stuff-yourself-with-emotional-fulfillment-until-it-s/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [“Your values are your essence: an undistorted mirror showing you at your pure, attractive best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/your-values-are-your-essence-an-undistorted-mirror-showing-you-at/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) ## More by Steven B. Sample > [“...the leader should reserve to himself the hiring, compensating, motivating, molding, assessing and firing of his chief lieutenants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-b-sample/the-leader-should-reserve-to-himself-the-hiring-compensating/) [Steven B. Sample](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-b-sample/) > [“Peter Principle--a brilliant and talented man promoted just one notch over his head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-b-sample/peter-principle-a-brilliant-and-talented-man-promoted-just-one-notch/) [Steven B. Sample](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-b-sample/) [Explore all 3 Steven B. Sample quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-b-sample/) ## More Contrarian quotes > [I have contrarian tendencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-t-conway-iii/i-have-contrarian-tendencies/) [George T. Conway III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-t-conway-iii/) > [Contrarian thinking at its best simply asks, Is this really true? It speaks up when the politically correct answer or the conventional wisdom doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-osborne/contrarian-thinking-at-its-best-simply-asks-is-this-really-true-it/) [Larry Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-osborne/) > [It’s actually pretty easy to be contrarian. It’s hard to be contrarian and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/it-s-actually-pretty-easy-to-be-contrarian-it-s-hard-to-be-contrarian/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [“Defending unpopular positions is what lawyers do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-clement/defending-unpopular-positions-is-what-lawyers-do/) [Paul Clement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-clement/) > [Value investing is at its core the marriage of a contrarian streak and a calculator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/value-investing-is-at-its-core-the-marriage-of-a-contrarian-streak/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [When your views are truly contrarian, they are inevitably uncomfortable. Courage and the ability to withstand pain are required,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steinhardt/when-your-views-are-truly-contrarian-they-are-inevitably/) [Michael Steinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steinhardt/) > [The very act of becoming an entrepreneur is contrarian to middle class values, study hard, get a good job, be happy with secure income…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashmi-bansal/the-very-act-of-becoming-an-entrepreneur-is-contrarian-to-middle/) [Rashmi Bansal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashmi-bansal/) > [When the things in front of you in life reveal how messed up the system is, you lose faith in the system pretty quickly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalen-rose/when-the-things-in-front-of-you-in-life-reveal-how-messed-up-the/) [Jalen Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalen-rose/) > [None of this means, however, that a business or stock is an intelligent purchase simply because it is unpopular; a contrarian approach is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/none-of-this-means-however-that-a-business-or-stock-is-an-intelligent/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“Let’s watch out for the unpredictability and the wildcat jumps of contrarian people, whose sole interests are soaring targets at high-speed, at all costs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-s-watch-out-for-the-unpredictability-and-the-wildcat-jumps-of/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [To be a contrarian, you've got to be a contrarian against your own people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/to-be-a-contrarian-you-ve-got-to-be-a-contrarian-against-your-own/) [James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/) > [I have a slight contrarian impulse I can't seem to shake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy-jr/i-have-a-slight-contrarian-impulse-i-can-t-seem-to-shake/) [John F. Kennedy Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy-jr/) > [I am something of a contrarian, I suppose. I feel less comfortable when everybody agrees with me. I say, 'I better reexamine my position!'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/i-am-something-of-a-contrarian-i-suppose-i-feel-less-comfortable-when/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Successful contrarian investing requires us to live with discomfort, for being "wrong" and alone. But bargains do not exist in the absence of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-arnott/successful-contrarian-investing-requires-us-to-live-with-discomfort/) [Robert D. Arnott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-arnott/) > [“In public market investing, as in many things, you achieve big success when you’re both contrarian and right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-public-market-investing-as-in-many-things-you-achieve-big-success/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) [Browse all 55 Contrarian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrarian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Decision making brings together many of the finest traits of contrarian leadership--thinking gray, thinking free, artful listening, delegating authority while retaining ultimate responsibility,artful procrastination, ignoring sunk costs, taking luck into account, and listening to one's inner voice. Weaving these traits together is an art itself. 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