Media & Press
About the book
The Stupid Syndrome: Why Smart Leaders Fall for the Wrong Ideas examines why intelligent, experienced leaders repeatedly make avoidable decisions — and how those failures arise not from incompetence, but from overconfidence, persuasion, misaligned incentives, and the absence of constructive challenge.
Drawing on real organisational scenarios, the book introduces the Veritus Framework, a practical decision discipline designed to help leaders improve clarity before commitment, particularly in complex or high-stakes environments.
About the author
Lord Gregory Henwood is a senior executive and board-level leader with extensive experience in technology, operations, and large-scale transformation across complex organisations.
His work focuses on decision quality, leadership behaviour under pressure, and the responsible adoption of technology and AI in real operating environments.
The Stupid Syndrome reflects long-standing observations from boardrooms and executive teams where the most costly failures were rarely technical — but decisional.
Interview and discussion topics
Lord Henwood is available to discuss:
Why smart leaders make predictable mistakes
Overconfidence and persuasion in executive decision-making
Why AI and transformation programmes fail quietly
How silence and incentives distort judgement
The Veritus Framework as a practical leadership discipline
Improving decision quality without slowing execution
Suggested interview questions
Why do intelligent leaders so often make decisions that appear obvious in hindsight?
What is the difference between confidence and certainty in leadership?
How does the Veritus Framework help rebalance evidence and persuasion?
Why does organisational silence persist at senior levels?
What makes decision failure more likely in AI and transformation initiatives?
Book details
Title: The Stupid Syndrome: Why Smart Leaders Fall for the Wrong Ideas
Author: Lord Gregory Henwood
Publisher: Collective Ink
Publication date: 27 October 2026
Format: Paperback
Media enquiries
For interviews, commentary, or review enquiries, please contact:
info@thestupidsyndrome.com
