The Pendulum Effect

Books Referenced

Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Radical Candor - Kim Scott

Start With Why - Simon Sinek

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I was leading a workshop recently about giving and receiving feedback.

One of the lessons of the day was the importance of timely and honest feedback.

One of my participants pushed back on the need for delivering feedback in this way. He had tried “honest feedback,” and he wasn’t getting a good response from his team.

Upon further questioning, I learned this leader read the book Radical Candor and started giving feedback based on what he had learned.

One of the key teachings in that book is to “Challenge Directly.”

He said something like, ‘now when I see something off, I waste no time in telling them what they did wrong. I’m direct and honest… and it can come off as blunt, but you know… radical candor.”

Ah.

I see.

It turns out this leader forget the other half of the core teaching of Radical Candor: “Care Personally.”

This leader fell victim to the pendulum effect.

He read a book which teaches the need to challenge directly. And he went all the way… throwing out the human connection side of the equation.

This is a pattern I see over and over with leaders and high achievers.

They read a book. They get inspired. They go all-in.

Then six months later, they've swung so far in the other direction that they've created a whole new set of problems.

This is the pendulum effect. And it's everywhere.

The pendulum effect happens when we overcorrect so hard that we swing from one extreme to another, never finding balance.

And just like Goldilocks taught us many years ago, it is not about being too soft or too hard… the “just right” spot is somewhere in the middle.

What Is the Pendulum Effect?

The pendulum effect describes the oscillation between extremes in behaviors, ideologies, and reactions.

In simple terms: when you notice a problem on one side, you swing so hard to fix it that you create an equal (or worse) problem on the other side.

Or, when you learn something new, you go all in on that new idea and abandon what you have learned before.

Here's how it shows up in leadership:

You're too hands-off, so you swing to micromanagement.

You're too soft, so you swing to being harsh.

You're too focused on relationships, so you swing to being purely transactional.

In life, maybe you are tired of old eating habits, so you take on a new extreme diet, or you cut out an entire food group.

You might recognize you are on your phone too much, so you delete your social media apps.

The problem isn't that you course-correct. Course correction is good.

The problem is that you overcorrect, abandon nuance, and lose the middle ground.

And in life and leadership, the middle ground is where effectiveness lives.

The AI Pendulum

Let me give you a current example: AI.

A couple years ago, most leaders were ignoring AI. "It's not ready." "It's not relevant to our business." "We'll wait and see."

Now? They're racing to adopt it everywhere.

AI in hiring. AI in customer service. AI in strategy. AI in everything.

And look, I'm not anti-AI. I use it. It's powerful and it's transformative.

But I'm watching leaders swing so hard toward AI adoption that they're not thinking through the second-order effects.

They're automating processes without considering what happens when the AI gets it wrong. Or when human intervention is required.

They're replacing human judgment with algorithms without asking, "What are we losing? What is the cost?"

They're adopting tools because everyone else is, not because it actually solves a problem.

This is the pendulum in action.

The first swing: ignore AI completely (because it was not ready).

The second swing: adopt AI everywhere without critical thinking.

Neither extreme is effective. But the pendulum doesn't care. It just swings.

Three Book Examples

Let me show you how this plays out with three popular leadership books.

These are all great books. I've recommended them. I've learned from them.

But when leaders swing to the extreme, they miss the point entirely.

Example 1: Extreme Ownership

Jocko Willink and Leif Babin's Extreme Ownership is a powerful book about taking responsibility as a leader.

The core message: own everything. Don't blame your team. Don't blame circumstances. Own it.

This is good advice, and there is power in taking responsibility.

But when they take this lesson too far, they stop letting their team own anything.

Every mistake becomes, "That's on me. I'll handle it."

Every decision becomes, "I need to be involved because I'm responsible."

Every failure becomes, "I should have prevented that."

And suddenly, the leader who read a book about ownership has created a team of people who don't own anything.

The team stops taking initiative. Why would they? The leader is going to swoop in and own it anyway.

The team stops learning from mistakes. And why would they? The leader already took the blame.

The team becomes dependent. And the leader becomes a bottleneck.

This is the pendulum effect.

The intent was good. The execution swung too far.

Jocko and Leif actually had so many questions about this pendulum effect they wrote a follow up book called The Dichotomy of Leadership.

Example 2: Start With Why

Simon Sinek's Start With Why is about understanding your purpose before taking action.

The core message: people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Also, to get the most out of your work and team, leaders must lead with purpose.

Again, this is solid advice.

But what happens when leaders take it too far? They get stuck thinking about their "why" and never take action.

"I can't launch this product until I'm clear on my why."

"I can't hire that person until I understand how they align with our why."

"I can't make this decision until I've articulated the deeper purpose."

And they wait. And wait. And wait.

And the team is thinking, “c’mon! Make a decision already!”

Meanwhile, competitors are moving and opportunities are passing.

Starting with why is important. But if you never move past why, you're just philosophizing.

At some point, you have to act.

The pendulum swings from "just execute without thinking" to "think so much you never execute."

Neither extreme works.

Example 3: Radical Candor

Kim Scott's Radical Candor is about caring personally while challenging directly.

The core message is that you can be kind and honest at the same time. Don't avoid feedback. Don't sugarcoat it. Care enough to be direct.

It is a great principle.

But when leaders take this too far they use "radical candor" as permission to be an asshole.

"I'm just being radically candid" becomes the excuse for delivering feedback without empathy or care.

They challenge directly but forget the "care personally" part.

They prioritize honesty over kindness and call it feedback. But there is an unintended consequence. Their team stops trusting them, because radical candor without care is just cruelty.

The book was about balance: care AND challenge.

But the pendulum swings to "challenge at all costs" and leaves care behind.

Why the Pendulum Effect Happens

So why do we do this?

Why do we swing from one extreme to another instead of finding the middle?

Here are the main reasons:

1. Overcorrection

You notice a problem. You're too soft, so you swing to being too hard.

You're too controlling, so you swing to being too hands-off.

The problem is real. But the solution overshoots.

Our minds think, “well if THIS is the problem, then the OPPOSITE must be the solution.”

2. Black-and-White Thinking

It's easier to go all-in on one approach than to hold tension between two ideas.

"Own everything" is simpler than "own what's yours and empower your team to own what's theirs."

"Always be candid" is simpler than "be candid in a way that shows you care."

Extremes are easy, cognitively speaking. Nuance is harder as it requires more discernment and cognitive flexibility.

3. Trend-Chasing

When everyone is talking about AI, or a new leadership framework, or a management philosophy, there's pressure to adopt it.

And when you adopt it, you want to go all-in. Because halfway feels like you're not committed.

Plus, everyone else is doing it. We don’t want to get left behind.

But going all-in often means losing sight of what works on the opposite side of the spectrum.

In the leadership development space, we are currently battling the pendulum of vulnerability and empathy.

While these two principles are core requirements for building trust and understanding our team’s problems, the pendulum has swung far enough where many leaders are excusing bad behavior for the sake of empathy. Many leaders are also leaning into vulnerability so much they undermine their resolve and credibility.

Be careful, friends. The answer is in the middle, not the extreme.

4. Lack of Self-Awareness

Most leaders don't realize they've swung to an extreme until someone points it out.

They think they're being decisive and they don't realize they've become controlling.

They think they're being honest and they don't realize they've become harsh.

The pendulum swings and they're just not aware of how far.

How to Avoid the Pendulum Effect

Here's how you stop swinging from one extreme to another:

1. Name the Middle Ground

Before you adopt a new approach, ask yourself: what's the balanced version of this?

If the idea is "own everything," the balanced version is "own your leadership while empowering your team to own their work."

If the idea is "start with why," the balanced version is "clarify your why, then take action."

If the idea is "be radically candid," the balanced version is "care personally AND challenge directly."

Don't just adopt the extreme. Define the middle.

2. Test Before Committing

When you read a new book or hear about a new approach, test it.

Try it with one team member. Try it in one meeting. Try it on one project.

See what works and see what doesn't.

Then adjust.

Don't go all-in on day one. The pendulum swings fastest when you overcorrect without consideration or data.

3. Get Feedback

Ask your team: "How is this landing with you?"

If you're trying to be more direct, ask, "Am I being too harsh? How can I be more direct without coming across as aggressive?"

If you're trying to empower your team, ask, "Am I being too hands-off?"

Your team will tell you if you've swung too far. But only if you ask.

4. Remember: "And" Not "Or"

Most leadership advice isn't either/or. It's both/and.

Own your leadership AND empower your team.

Be kind AND be honest.

Move fast AND think strategically.

Adopt new tools AND think critically.

The pendulum swings when you pick one side. Your effectiveness lay in you leveraging both.

The Wrap Up

The pendulum effect is everywhere.

Leaders swing from ignoring AI to adopting it everywhere.

They swing from being too soft to being too harsh.

They swing from one leadership philosophy to another without finding balance.

And every time they swing, they create new problems.

The solution isn't to stop learning. It's not to stop trying new things. The solution is to stop overcorrecting.

To do this

• Name the middle ground
• Test before you commit
• Get feedback
• Hold "and" instead of "or."

Effectiveness isn't found at the extremes, but in the balance between them.

So, before you go all-in on the next big idea, ask yourself:

Am I course-correcting, or am I overcorrecting?

Am I finding balance, or am I just swinging the pendulum?

Your team will thank you for the nuance.

Go crush it, friends.

Clark