Have you ever heard someone say this (or thought it yourself) …
“Well, if they’re not making progress in their current position, or if they dislike it so much … why don’t they just admit it’s not for them?”
It’s an interesting question!
Admitting deficiency does seem like the logical and right thing to do …
However, it goes directly against a cognitive bias called ‘The Ostrich Effect’.
See, each and every one of us is susceptible to ‘The Ostrich Effect’ whether we’d like to admit it or not. (Perfect example of it as you’ll see.)
This cognitive bias states that in the face of something we don’t want to admit, or that’s disturbing to hear… we’re likely to ‘bury our head in the sand’ and pretend it doesn’t exist – just like an ostrich.
As you can imagine, after ‘Peter’ received his promotion, and experienced all of the additional benefits (More money, happier spouse, new ‘toys’, etc.) – he wouldn’t be in a hurry to let it all go.
So instead of facing the internal pain and conflict, his brain simply disregards the fact he’s not cut out for the job and instead shifts the focus elsewhere.
We see this all the time in business, don’t we?
Unfortunately, Ignorance is not bliss in business … but it is a sure path to ruin.
I know it hurts to admit painful truths, but by pulling your head out of the metaphorical sand …
You open up yourself to new opportunities for growth.
This leads me to another question …
What’s your painful truth?
Is it people working against their true nature?
Convoluted initiatives that nobody understands?
A service that no longer provides the necessary benefit due to a rapidly changing industry?
Or maybe even that you’re NOT on track to meet your year-end goals? Whatever it is, take action now before it’s too late to see the light.