Do your employees still think for themselves or do you sometimes feel like they’re AI’s messengers?
Thinkslop.
You might have come across this term coined by Harvard Business Review in a study, which describes a cognitive trap. It refers to the lazy, sloppy thinking that emerges when people rely on AI to form opinions, make decisions or figure out what they think instead of doing the work themselves.
More and more people are using AI. According to Data Report Portal, more than 1 Billion people are using AI as of October 2025. Top use cases according to an HBR study fall under these themes: Personal and Professional Support, Content Creation and Editing, Learning and Education, Technical Assistance and Troubleshooting, Creativity and Recreation, and Research, Analysis and Decision-Making.
But before you give yourself or your team a pat on the back for being one of the early adopters or active users leveraging AI for productivity and efficiency, it is worth examining whether you or your team have fallen into the thinkslop trap.
Simply put, “Have you outsourced your thinking to AI and denied yourself the opportunity to think for yourself?”
Which of these options have lesser risks?
What did my boss mean when he sent me this email?
What’s a good icebreaker activity for the meeting I am leading?
Given these problems, what are the top 3 strategies we can consider?
When we are over-reliant on AI to think on our behalf, we may miss out on intentions, emotions, memories, imagination, gut feel, personal perspective, and eventually lead to diminished brain activation. (You can read more on this by looking up cognitive debt.)
As a Leader, you might be guilty of this yourself, or you might be noticing your employees submitting AI outputs straight from the AI tool without checking it or challenging it for accuracy and relevance. (I’ve experienced this and it makes me wonder, “Shouldn’t I have just done this myself if you’ll be submitting AI output? I might even have better prompts.)
AI is definitely here to stay so it’s important we use it the right way, to support us, to make us think better and become better.
Here are three ways leaders can help employees think better and avoid being a victim of thinkslop.
Challenge their Ideas
Instead of just taking their ideas as they are (even the amazing ones), challenge them to think deeper or expand their thinking. Here are some questions you can start with.
Wear a different “hat” or take a different perspective
- What would you do if you were a customer? stakeholder?
- What if we look at the bigger picture?
- If you were in my shoes, what do you think I would say?
- What questions might your audience have?
- What might an “opposing” party say?
Ask “what if” questions
- What if we had no budget constraints, what would change?
- What if you had more time, how would you make adjustments?
- What if we’re wrong about this?
Explore options and possibilities
- How do you know this is true?
- What might change your mind about this?
- What risks are we taking here?
- What assumptions are we making now?
Remember to challenge with respect and empathy. It’s not a reason to be rude or insensitive.
Encourage them to challenge you as well
Creating an environment of thinkers means that you should also walk the talk. This means opening the space for them to share their viewpoints, ask you questions, make clarifications or even challenge your ideas.
To do this, it’s important to create a safe space where your team will not hesitate to speak up and ask questions. Here’s what you can do to get started.
- Allot time during meetings so your team can ask questions. You can gamify to get them started.
- Accept their feedback and questions without being defensive. Thank them instead.
- Let them share their ideas first. Share yours last.
- Show them that you value their questions, feedback and ideas.
- Provide different means to share their ideas. (Verbal, email, feedback forms, etc)
Encourage Creativity
Actively challenging our brains with tasks or activities that are outside our comfort zone helps keep our brains engaged and encourage neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s lifelong ability to adopt, grow and reorganize itself. The saying “use it or lose it,” may apply in this situation as well if we fall into the thinkslop trap.
Here are some ways you can encourage and build creativity in your teams:
- Create opportunities or activities that allow brainstorming and thinkathons.
- Host non-digital activities that involve use of physical movements and other senses.
- Equip your team with skills that help them become more innovative, agile and creative.
- Engage in “play” or other fun activities.
It takes a system and a courageous leader
It takes more than just training programs or telling people what they should or should not do to prevent thinkslop in your teams. It means creating conditions where people are encouraged to think, question and challenge what is being presented to them, whether by AI or by other people.
For leaders, this also means being courageous enough to be vulnerable and real. It means accepting that you are not always right and not all best ideas come from you.
Ready to support your leaders and teams in building and strengthening these critical human skills? I can help you. Just get in touch!
