The Schrödinger's cat

quantum implications for leadership

"I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something."

Richard Feynman, Physics Nobel Laureate 1965

The Schrödinger's cat is a paradox, a thought experiment to help illustrate the difficulty in understanding quantum mechanics. However, it can also offer insights for leadership to navigate uncertainty and ambiguity

The “Schrödinger's Cat” was described in 1935 by the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, and it represents a hypothetical scenario in which a cat is placed inside a box containing a radioactive atom, a vial of poison, and a cat.

Governed by quantum rules, the radioactive atom can either decay or not at any given moment and there is no way of knowing when it will happen; but when it decays, it breaks the vial, releases the poison and kills the cat. However, until the box is opened and the cat observed, the cat is considered both alive and dead, in a superposition of states.

This paradox highlights the strange nature of quantum mechanics, where particles can exist in multiple states until they are observed.

“Quantum theory is very strange. It says that an object like a particle or an atom that adheres to quantum rules doesn’t have a reality that can be pinned down until it is measured. Until then, its properties, such as momentum, are encoded in a mathematical object known as a wave function that essentially says: if you make a measurement, here are a range of possible outcomes. The inevitable question that arose as the theory developed was: what, then, is the thing doing before that?” (NewScientist)

Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg in the 1930s provided an interpretation saying that there really is no definitive reality before the measurement, and that the object is in an undefined state known as a superposition.

Let’s leave aside the fact that quantum physics deals with atoms and particles and not with large objects like cats.

“Quantum Leadership”

How can this experiment offer any insights for leadership?

1. The world of the unknown

Just like the cat in the box, you can find yourself in situations where you can’t predict the outcome of your decisions, no matter how well studied they are. It is in these situations that one needs to feel comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity and be able to hold multiple scenarios at play without prematurely committing to one. Most often than not decisions need to be made based on incomplete information and dynamic contexts.

It is also important to realize that it is easy to fall into the trap of believing you have all the answers; however the unknowns are what can completely derail a project or harm a relationship.

When you embrace uncertainty you are better equipped to navigate the unexpected twists and turns of leadership reality. It helps recognize you don't have all the answers, it makes you more willing to take risks, experiment with different approaches, and prepares to adapt to changing circumstances.

Over years of seeing great leaders in action and reflecting on how to bucket all my observations, I believe there are three practices that can help reduce uncertainty in any given situation:

• Assume nothing (avoid thinking “been there, done that” and remain curios to understand and collect as much data as you can with a fresh pair of eyes. Make the effort to look as naively as possible to the problem you face)

• Suspend judgement (requires the practice of self-awareness and the development of strong emotional intelligence to connect with people, to listen actively, to understand your own limitations and to practice patience, to calm your mind not to jump to conclusions while you are still processing large amounts of information)

• Work the problem (don’t think of solutions ahead of time, reframe the problem statement as many times as you can, think if you are trying to solve the right problem in the first place, think in first principles, break the problem into parts, be hands on!!!)

What about ambiguity?

Ambiguity is “the quality of being open to more than one interpretation” and in order to deal effectively with it, one needs to seek new perspectives and wonder if the questions being asked are the right questions for the context. I particularly find very useful to zoom in and zoom out of the situation to understand the big and to see the small. It is about helping the mind think clearly.

In the inevitable battle between time to think vs. amount of information needed to make a decision… never trade off clarity of thinking.

Maximum amount of data with poor thinking against limited data with sharp thinking? Give me day and night the clarity of thought to understand my limitations, use the best mental models and ask the most insightful questions.

I came across a good post on the topic and would like to share the visual that summarizes the tools good leadership can use when dealing with ambiguity (Vinita Bansal at TechTello)

2. The mindset of observation

Another insight I particular appreciate from this thought experiment, highly connected with the previous one, is the importance of sharpening your observation skills. We know from the experiment that the cat's state is only determined when someone opens the box and observes it. The cat is not alive nor dead, it is what it is only when it’s observed. And this has big implications to leadership.

On one hand, it teaches us the importance of remaining always curious to seek out diverse perspectives in the face of challenges. On the other hand it shows us how two seemingly identical situations may have different outcomes depending on context, therefore making decisions solely based on knowledge and past experiences can be risky.

Not two “identical” situations in paper are truly “identical” in practice.

But let's also be real here… Leadership in today's world feels more like dealing with a Matryoshka doll each one filled with Schrödinger's Cat boxes!

Back to the quote that opened the post

When physicist Richard Feynman said, "I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something" he was highlighting the difference between having knowledge of a concept superficially and understanding it on a deeper level. To truly understand something, you must have a deep and comprehensive knowledge of its underlying principles and assumptions, of how it works and very important, how it can be applied to different scenarios and in different contexts.

It’s not about having to know everything about something, but it’s about knowing deeply what really needs to be known about something in order to understand it.

The paradox to leadership that the Schrödinger's Cat presents is that in order to embrace uncertainty and thrive in an increasingly complex world, one needs to know deeply yet live in a constant state of observation and questioning; because two same perceived realities can be different from each other at any given time.

And that is to me, the conundrum of “quantum leadership”

P.S. Before I go, here you have “The Treat,” where I share some of the music that kept me company while writing … Enjoy as you bid farewell to this post

“Lead yourself, Learn to live. Lead others, Learn to Build.”

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