Thomas J. Watson, Sr. knew a thing or two. He started admonishing his staff to “think” while he was still at NCR. Later “Think” was trademarked by IBM and became the company’s official slogan.

Watson knew that we all do too many things without thinking or without thinking about the possible consequences. A bit more thinking wouldn’t hurt, and might even make things better.

If you’re a boss, you definitely want to keep moving forward. But there are some times you should stop and do a bit of thinking.

Think before you make another rule.

Think before you add a “but” to any praise.

Think before you expect any plan to work without any unforeseen problems.

Think before you speak when you’re angry.

Think before you come to a decision without verifying facts or hearing other opinions.

Think before you put off acting to gather more data.

Think before you commit to any action when your head and heart are out of sync.