Nailing it; or how everyone else being wrong can't be right
Sue Unerman
Global CSO Brainlabs, co-author A Year of Creativity; Belonging, DEI;The Glass Wall, success for women; Tell the Truth. Winner Cannes Lions Creativity for Good, Glass Lion judge
500 years ago, on 31st October 1517, Martin Luther nailed a poster on to the door of a church that changed history. Establishing, once and for all, the power of out of home media.
Actually, not the point of this blog. Sorry poster fans.
500 years ago Luther nailed a paper with 95 theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg in Germany expressing his objections to the Catholic Church and sparking the Protestant Reformation across Europe.
As many of you know, in England, this was spearheaded by Henry VIII who split from the Pope’s authority and announced himself Head of the Church.
When this is taught at school reasons for the reformation are normally confined to i) Henry didn’t like control from Rome; ii) Henry wanted a divorce from older, and now slightly dull Katherine of Aragon who hadn’t given him a son; iii) He had a crush on Anne Boleyn; iv) He wanted to acquire the considerable wealth concentrated in the monasteries. Less frequently cited is the reason Tudor historian Suzannah Lipscomb gives: his absolute need to be right.
She writes: “To justify his actions he would ignore the ruling of the Pope.. the highest authority figure of the time who he had previously defended; his own conscience; the trauma to his wife who begged him on her knees not to leave her.”
She references a book “Mistakes were made but not by me” which examines “psychological dissonance” which happens when someone holds two beliefs that contradict each other. When someone who needs to be liked or respected (as most of us do) does something that deep down they know is unlikeable or shameful. The book argues that this is so uncomfortable that it’s only natural to try to resolve it.
Some people will go to any lengths to do so. Like Henry VIII.
Like someone who expresses an opinion that he’s believed deep down for years, finds that he is challenged on it by other opinion formers and then has to find a way to prove that he’s still in the right. Perhaps he’ll acknowledge a misunderstanding ie that what he said was misinterpreted by everyone else. Or give a non-apology apology where he says he’s sorry for upsetting people (but not for his beliefs or his lifelong actions based on those beliefs).
Lipscomb comments: “there may be exceptions but few people in history could not justify to themselves whey they did what they did and why it was – contrary to all odds – actually the right thing to do”.
You will be able to think of your own examples from history. You will be able to think of your own examples from the present day; on the world stage; in your personal life; in business.
The best leaders acknowledge when they are in the wrong. It’s a characteristic to look out for in a manager or a leader. Does your boss admit when they were wrong and perhaps even when you were right?
The only thing worse than making a mistake at work is not admitting it and asking for forgiveness and help.
Our brains are wired for self-justification, our first recourse is to find a reason why everyone else is wrong. Its hard work however. The wronger you are the more effort it is. Freeing yourself from this effort is not only healthier, and happier, it will also make you more productive and a better leader.
#agencyvoices
Public Affairs Manager
7 年Please myself, not other person else.
Minimalist Coach and Podcaster | Listed in Top 25 simple living Podcasts around the Globe
7 年I too had written on self-justification: https://lifethroughmybioscope.com/self-justifying-psychology/ . Hope you like it.
Writer, Speaker, and Problem Solver
7 年I think there is value in checking your presuppositions and this is why mentorship is absolutely vital. To say, however, that the 95 Thesis being nailed to that door was just so that King Henry could divorce his wife is to miss the point. Luther had an issue with the church selling indulgences (letting people pay money for their sins) and said that his practice had become corrupt. He also believed that individuals could access God directly, not through the church, and should be able to read the scriptures for themselves. This threatened the power of the church over the people in what had become a theocracy. Luther defied the culturally accepted rules and risked everything in the process. He believed he was right while the world said he was wrong. My ability to read the Bible for myself in my own language was sparked when he nailed those 95 Thesis to the door. Galileo was likewise prosecuted for believing, contrary to cultural norms, that the world was round. Eventually he succumbed to peer pressure to recant ... and was much later proven to be right. I am proud of Luther's willingness to stand against the established norms and question authority.
Mobility Tech at Hartman Brothers
7 年Great post. We are so easily derailed in our search for truth by our desire, anger, fear...etc. ie We decide what we want to be true and work backwards from there...we have a hard time coping with the implications of a truth so we work backwards from there... I think this is the reason some decide there is no objective, solid truth. We did what we thought was right and it backfired on us. I believe that no human being is the calibration for truth. Popular people are wrong and masses follow blindly. Sometimes the masses are so wrong, and one person with the guts can say, "now wait a minute." Do we even have the ability to be honest with ourselves, since we are blind to our own bias and assumption?