When Old Stories Hold Us Back

America is currently imploding. This too shall pass. But while it is ongoing I have been fascinated as commentator after commentator has opined "This is NOT who we are". As an outsider I want to shout at my television "But it is!" See it from my perspective. There have been four US Presidents assassinated and two attempted Presidential assassinations. Many other leaders have been assassinated. The Black Lives Matter last summer turned violent as did this one and routinely perceived police brutality leads to violent protests. Violence has been present for a long time. This is not American bashing - it is a fact. So how is it possible to say that "This is not who we are"?

Of course America is not alone. Many other countries hold onto myths and so do companies. It is common for a company to believe that it is who it wishes that it is. For example, a company that was once a market leader holds onto that belief even though other companies have passed it. Or there are companies that were once unique for their human resource strategies or marketing practices that are just a member of the pack now that other companies have caught up. At some point these stories or real or imagined glory were told to others and they have become passed on as fact. Questioning the stories is often taboo. If it is a country you might be called unpatriotic or if it is a company you might be viewed as being disloyal. People who do not believe the story are therefore silenced and the story becomes further entrenched.

The problem with these false or old stories is that as long as we believe them we may not make necessary changes. After all if you believe that you are number one then there is no need to make changes to your products, or if you believe that your country is made up of peaceful citizens then why change? Of course if your belief is a myth it will eventually become exposed as such and by then it may be too difficult to make the required changes.

So what to do about these 'Old Stories'? Glad you asked!

1. Test them against reality. Let's say that your company is an Employer of Choice in your mind. Check your HR records - do you get the best people applying to you or do you have to hunt them down? Do people stay with your company or is your turnover rate creeping up? Testing your stories tells you whether they continue to be true or whether there is work to be done.
2. Ask questions. Ask your employees if they would consider you to be an Employer of Choice for example. Be open for answers that may not make you happy and don't shoot the messenger! If you respond negatively to truth tellers no one else will tell you the truth.
3. Actively seek out diversity. This is paritcularly important in the leader's inner circle. Groupthink flourishes when there is homogeneity. People who are different ask different questions and have different perspectives. When they are new to the organization give them the room to ask questions and to comment on what they are experiencing and what they believe about you.
4. Be open to feedback. It is easy to ignore feedback as being just a disgruntled few or to demonize and stereotype them. It is important to have mechanisms to collect feedback and to objectively anayze that feedback. For example, company boards should ask for the results of surveys and feedback for customers and they should spend some time analyzing it to identify trends.
5. Finally, Act. Companies and countries that stay in denial eventually decline because they have ignored the signs. Once you have determined that there is a gap between your perception and reality do not waste time justifying or denying. Get busy fixing the problem. No longer an Employer of Choice? Get busy fixing your HR practices and retraining your leaders. Too much conflict? Identify the sources and make interventions. We live in a fast moving world and every minute of denial moves you faster towards decline. As the quote below suggests delusion only feels good!