I interviewed an exceptional candidate today. He had diverse experiences solving various problems and a proven track record of success. What really impressed me was his strong critical thinking skills, which was the main focus of the interview.

I’ve noticed a common mindset among highly successful individuals, which I’d describe as “aggressive thinking,” a term I first heard from Jocko Willink. It seems to stem from a combination of unwavering confidence, a strong level of agency, and sharp critical thinking.

Aggressive thinking is essentially the ability to quickly analyze a problem, apply personal frameworks or models to it, and systematically break it down through trial and error rapidly. It’s like dissecting a problem into manageable parts, evaluating each one separately, and then piecing them back together to gain a deeper understanding of how to tackle it.

People who exhibit this mindset can learn from various experiences and apply those lessons in different situations. They exude confidence while also being introspective and self-reflective. A clear indicator is someone who achieves significant success in unrelated roles in a short period. These individuals propel businesses forward and inspire growth in those around them.

This is more of a theory based on observing patterns among these individuals, but it’s something I am actively exploring further and attempting to quantify.

I would love to hear if anyone has experienced this or seen similar patterns.