Are you falling into the complacency trap?
I saw the following words on a poster in my bank manager’s office the other day.
Complacency. Just because things are going well now, doesn’t mean that they can’t suddenly go horribly wrong.
It was just below a photograph of a snail resting on a railway track, with a train approaching in the distance. While I realize that the poster was slightly tongue-in-cheek, I was still reminded about how easily and quickly leaders can fall into this very trap.
Sure, it’s nice to have a period of time when things seem to be moving along smoothly, when the bumps in the road are small enough that they can almost be ignored. But the reality is that while a short reprieve to catch your breath and celebrate success is well-deserved, resting on your laurels for too long can only get you into trouble. When we get complacent, we tend to both under-estimate the risks we face, as well as over-estimate our own abilities. And when complacency kicks in, things can suddenly go horribly wrong.
How would you know?
This poster got me thinking about how we would know if we are falling into the complacency trap. What are the clues you should watch for as a leader that might indicate you are taking the status quo for granted? Here is the list I came up with: Continue reading
As a leader, it is your responsibility to make good decisions. In your department or organization, you are likely called on repeatedly to evaluate and implement a variety of projects. And many of these initiatives will probably require investigation and research in order to determine alternatives and make recommendations. But exactly how much research should one do to be able to make good decisions? That is a conundrum that many leaders face.
If you’re a leader, then you’re responsible for decision-making. Which is why it we have
The self-serving bias is a concept that has been extensively studied in social psychology. Essentially, it is people’s tendency to attribute positive events to their own character but attribute negative events to external factors. It’s a common type of cognitive bias that exists in all aspects of life, including in the workplace.
“Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere”
“We need to wait until we have all the facts …” is something I hear many managers and supervisors say. It’s often in response to an issue that needs to be dealt with or an unexpected problem that has occurred. Usually the situation is a difficult one and because the manager has no prior experience with making decisions in an identical or similar scenario, s/he is stalling for time. The unfortunate reality of course is that if you wait for all the facts, you might be waiting for a really (really) long time; perhaps even an eternity.
In 1626, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden ordered the building of the Vasa, a new warship that was intended to become, for that era, the most powerful marine vessel in the Baltic Sea. As was common in warships then, the Vasa was to have a rank of cannons on each side of the boat so that soldiers could easily fire at their attackers, no matter what direction the assault came from.
In my practice, I am routinely asked by leaders in organizations for the definitive factors that lead to team effectiveness. After all, leaders in every organization want to know 
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. So said St. Augustine in the 4th century. And it’s a doctrine that I’ve taken to heart. Those of you who know me know that I love to travel. However, a recent travel experience taught me a lesson about the danger of becoming complacent, a lesson that applies to leadership as well, and something that I have talked about previously in the blog (see 
By definition, there is always uncertainty in making risky decisions; after all, the old adage “no risk, no reward” holds true. No doubt, leadership instinct and past experience play an important role in determining whether the possible reward is worth the perceived risk, but I am nevertheless often asked by leaders whether there is a more systematic approach to making risky decisions. Decision-making theory abounds with a plethora of techniques and methods, but there is one relatively simple approach that I have found to repeatedly give positive results. Ask yourself: does making the decision result in more options or fewer? If the answer is more choices, then move forward. If the answer is fewer options, then don’t take that action.