The Critical Doer Is Committed To Thinking And Doing
I really appreciate the feedback you provided when I published a post called “Thinkers and Doers—Why The Two Must Be One To Get Things Done.” I decided that post should be revisited after a quote from ancient history came up in a conversation with some coworkers this week.
In circa 410 BC, the Greek historian Thucydides wrote in “The History of the Peloponnesian War”…”the society that separates its warriors and scholars will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools.”
Think about that for a moment…2400 years ago it was recognized that separating thinking and doing would either produce thinkers that lacked the courage to act, or doers who lacked the intellectual capacity to make their action produce a tangible benefit. If you read Thucydides’ account, you’ll see his theory proven true as the city-state of Athens…widely known for its superior thinkers…was ultimately decimated and subjugated.
The inextricable link between thinking and doing is the heart of critical doer philosophy. There are many management techniques, some we’ve covered and there are many more to come on our journey together, which enhance our capacity for doing. But it should be affirmed again there is no management technique that can substitute for the combination of strong mind and strong character that unites to design, build, inspire, and ultimately do.
As always, I challenge critical doers to understand that change starts with you. If you’re in a situation personally or professionally where thinkers and doers are at odds rather than in harmony, here’s your chance to put our philosophy into action. Read about philosophy and logic to learn systems of critical thinking; read about doers of deeds to study their struggles as much as their triumphs…you’ll become a thinker that acts decisively and finds fulfillment in all your endeavors. It’s what a critical doer would…do!
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