5 Ways to Spot When We’re in Denial
Denial is a sneaky thing.
We don’t usually recognise it in ourselves.
I don’t mean denying as in “She denied the charges.”
I mean the things we say to ourselves and others that we might actually believe on the surface level but, if we took time to reflect deeply, we’d realise are just a cover.
We all do it – though we’ll probably deny it.??
Denial is a way of deflecting reality because we don’t want to face the truth.
Denial can make life seem easier – we don’t have to face up. We just keep on keeping on and that’s comfortable right? (even if it isn’t!) But denial will hold us back big time if we want to be successful in business and be more than we’re settling for.
Here are 5 common ways we can find ourselves in denial
1.???? We say we’re too busy
When we say we’re too busy we’re really saying that we don’t want to do the thing someone invited us to do. We will ALWAYS make time to do the stuff we want to do.
2.???? Procrastination, or putting things off
Procrastination is when we distract ourselves from what we really need to do by getting involved in trivial or less important activities. Having wasted time procrastinating we no longer have time to do the things that needed doing. Or we put stuff off until [insert "perfect" time here].
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3.???? “I know”
There is often a big gap between knowing something and actually doing it. When we say “I know” we are usually in denial. We need to catch ourselves saying those two words and then check in with “But have I actually done it?”
4.???? Reasons
Coming up with reasons is another form of denial. Reasons deny our personal responsibility for something.
In business we can come up with reasons why something didn’t work, we lost money, a team member screwed up, and so on. But as the business leader, our job is to consider and plan for all possibilities. That’s impossible you say. Maybe. Things will always go wrong but coming up with reasons does no good. The better response is to ask ourselves what we need to put in place to make sure (as much as we can) that it doesn’t happen again.
5.???? Closed mind
Refusing to open our minds to accept new ideas can finish a business.
To survive and grow in business we need to be continually learning and innovating. This can be difficult because most people don’t like change. But change is inevitable so we need to keep an open mind.
Finally
Denial may offer temporary relief from discomfort and stress but in the world of business, it can be a self-sabotaging defence mechanism. It hinders problem-solving, stifles innovation, and has the potential to lead to financial disaster.
My job as a business coach is to provide a fresh external perspective on your business operations, to ask the questions no one else will, and to be your unreasonable but compassionate friend. ??
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