Switches and dials
"Unique needs no modifier. Very unique, quite unique, more unique, real unique, fairly unique, and extremely unique are wrong and they mark you as dumb, although certainly not unique." ~ George Carlin
THE RUB
I recently heard “very decisive” in a meeting, and it reminded me of Carlin’s rant. Something is either unique or it’s not. I felt the same about being decisive. I started sharing my observation with others and doing some research around decisiveness. I heard a variety of perspectives, but most felt there are degrees of decisiveness.
Decisiveness is situational. The leader who is lightning-fast on operational calls might be slow and deliberate on people decisions. Decisiveness can be deconstructed into more specific components like:
Speed — how quickly does someone move from information to decision?
Confidence — how much does someone second-guess or revisit once a decision is made?
Commitment — how fully do they execute once a direction is chosen?
Carlin's observation is correct. “Unique" is binary by definition, but decisive is different. Decisiveness isn't a property like uniqueness. It’s a behavior pattern along a continuum of speed, confidence, and commitment.
Mistaking a spectrum for a binary, or a binary for a spectrum, changes how we think, lead, and judge.
THE FRAMEWORK
Two pitfalls to avoid:
Collapsing a spectrum into a binary. This was my mistake, and my guess is it’s more common. “You’re either with us or against us.” "Is she decisive or not?" Binaries are cognitively cheap but they strip out all the useful information.
Treating a binary as a spectrum. Sometimes we use spectrum language to avoid commitment. "It's complicated." "It depends." Sometimes things actually are binary — you either told the truth or you didn't, you either showed up or you didn't — and the spectrum framing becomes an escape hatch. Leaders who can't recognize genuine binaries often hide behind nuance.
Years ago attending a diversity training session, I was introduced to an effective spectrum model on tolerance and acceptance. The lowest level was repulsion, then it moved up through tolerance, acceptance, appreciation, and celebration. I still remember the richer understanding I felt when the instructor asked, “Have you ever felt tolerated?” That spectrum helped me see the degree to which I was accepting of others.
Well-constructed spectrums create orientation. You know where you are and what better or worse looks like. The binary creates a fixed identity, the spectrum creates a direction.
THE PRACTICE
Spectrumize it! Find lazy binaries in real life and challenge myself to see them with greater finesse. I watched The Last Movie Star (2017), and I caught myself writing, “It’s a corny story.” Binary alert! Could I turn corny into a spectrum?
Describe and define. An easy starting point to make a spectrum is with modifiers (like Carlin points out). Kind of corny, somewhat corny, fairly corny, extremely corny. A more exacting method is to generate more descriptive words: sentimental, schmaltzy, saccharine. Use a thesaurus and AI to find additional words I hadn’t considered: mawkish, cloying, treacly, and lachrymose.
Rank order. Show the progression between the levels. Call out what more or less looks like.
Sentimental is the neutral baseline. It’s emotionally tender.
Schmaltzy is sentimental with excess, but there's something almost lovable about it. You can call something schmaltzy and still enjoy it.
Corny is more about ideas that are stale or unsophisticated.
Mawkish is where the affection curdles. The emotion feels performed or unearned. Self-pity dressed up as feeling.
Cloying is the most visceral of the five. It's the literary equivalent of eating a whole bag of candy — the sweetness turns on you.
Assess and assign. The Last Movie Star was schmaltzy. It was excessive, but I connected with the feelings of regret and felt for the main character.
Creating spectrums refines my thinking, helps deconstruct more actionable elements, and provides direction on how to improve. The goal isn’t volume. It’s catching myself the next time I reach for a switch when there’s actually a dial.