When Binary Thinking Fails: Barry Johnson's Polarity Path for Leaders
Maureen Metcalf, MBA
CEO/Board Chair @ Innovative Leadership Institute | MBA I Elevating Leadership
Most of us were trained to solve problems. That may not be the best path for a leader.
In school, business, and life, we are rewarded for identifying an issue, analyzing options, and selecting the “right” answer. Either/or thinking is our default operating system.
But what if our biggest challenges really aren’t problems to solve but polarities to manage?
This insight sits at the core of this week’s podcast with Dr. Barry Johnson , creator of the Polarity Map® and pioneer of polarity thinking. His work brings a new way to navigate the complexity, tension, and ambiguity plaguing today’s world.
The False Choice Trap
We automatically think every decision requires a choice. When we encounter a persistent tension, like tradition vs. innovation or centralization vs. decentralization, we feel we must pick a side. In other words, we frame every situation as a conflict.
As a result, we try to win the conflict, doubling down on our preferred value or choice, even when the evidence begins mounting against that decision. And that’s exactly when we start to lose.
When leaders over-identify with one “pole” (tradition, for instance), they create blind spots to the equally valid need for creativity and adaptability. When they swing to the opposite pole (innovation, in this case), they may ignore the need for consistency, risk mitigation, and institutional memory.
This is how promising strategies become rigid and visionary cultures become chaotic.
It’s how good intentions become the organizational silos we all dread but can’t seem to stop from forming.
Better than Choosing: Shift to ‘And’ Thinking
Polarity thinking gives us a different path. Instead of “either/or,” it shifts your thinking to “both/and.”
The core concept is that some tensions are not meant to be solved. They are meant to be leveraged. These are interdependent pairs that work best when held together: stability and change, individual freedom and collective responsibility, planning and emergence.
When we embrace “both/and” thinking, we stop forcing false choices and start designing solutions that respect the upsides and minimize the downsides of both perspectives.
Real-World Example: Structure vs. Innovation
A high-growth tech firm faced mounting internal tension between their operations team and their product innovation group. The ops leader wanted consistent systems, rules, and compliance. The innovation leader pushed for agility, experimentation, and speed.
They were stuck in a standoff, each side convinced the other was the problem.
Using polarity thinking—the both/and view—they realized this was no clash of personalities but a necessary tension between two legitimate leadership values. Once both sides saw their roles as part of a larger polarity, they shifted from competing over “who’s right” to co-creating a plan that gave structure and room to experiment. The conflict eased, trust improved, and performance followed.
Warning Signs You’ve Gone Too Polar
When you favor one pole or side too heavily, these red flags often appear:
The good news: Once you recognize these dynamics as polarities, not problems, you can build strategies to monitor and rebalance before dysfunction sets in. BONUS: As you get better at navigating between poles, you begin to bring out the strengths of BOTH sides.
Leadership Action Steps
Here’s how you can apply the basics of polarity thinking today:
A Final Thought
The most effective leaders today aren’t the ones with the fastest answers. They’re the ones who can navigate the most tension, turning it into a win-win as the strengths of both sides emerge, no longer wasting time, resources, and emotional energy in conflict.
Polarity thinking isn’t just a framework. It’s a leadership capacity enabling you to look at an issue and say, “That’s no problem at all!”
Maureen's Five Steps to Resilience
Stress levels at work are increasing. That's especially true for leaders.
Fortunately, there are tried-and-true methods for boosting resilience, and thus tamping down that stress. Maureen outlines them in her latest article as a thought leader with Forbes Coaches Council. Check out the full article at https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2025/07/22/beyond-the-bounce-back-5-tips-for-evolving-through-adversity/, then breathe easy!
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This article was adapted by Dan Mushalko from our podcast episode The Power of Polarity Thinking: How Great Leaders Leverage Opposites.
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Timely topic! thank you Maureen!!
In my job search era
2wThanks for sharing, Maureen!