Both individuals and businesses suffer from the harm caused by stupid mistakes.
Here’s how to avoid making stupid (and possibly harmful) mistakes:
1. Stop looking in the mirror
It would not be surprising someone with King as their first name might have an ego problem. And if you were King C. Gillette of the famed Gillette Co., it might rub off on the entire operation. For nearly a century, others in the shaving-blade business tried to topple Gillette from its throne. It didn’t work, which may have caused the company to believe it was indomitable. If so, it was a stupid mistake.
Then came the disruptors with little money but with low prices and home delivery. These interlopers, Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club, were largely ignored, until they nicked the king. Finally, Gillette got in the act with a copycat “club” offering reduced prices and home delivery.
Point: If you keep your face glued to the mirror, all you see is yourself – and that spells trouble.
2. Face your limitations
The worst fate that can befall anyone is becoming functionally obsolete. It happens to individuals, departments, managers and organizations. They no longer have the skills, capabilities and knowledge to handle today’s demands. They’re functionally obsolete and, unintentionally, they make inappropriate decisions.
Point: Most of us rely on our past performance as a guide, failing to recognize it’s inadequate, rendering us functionally obsolete and prone to making stupid mistakes.
3. Challenge yourself
During a family discussion of current events, the father answered a question quickly and confidently. A few seconds later, his newly minted son-in-law spoke up with a different answer from his iPhone, shocking the older man because what he thought he knew was wrong.
This is what two researchers call “the illusion of explanatory depth,” which means we think we know more than we do, which is not only pervasive but causes us to draw erroneous conclusions that lead to making stupid mistakes.
Point: Ignorance isn’t bliss; it’s a severe handicap.
4. Think it through
We all have our own ideas and because they’re ours, it’s inevitable we become overly invested in them. They’re our “children” and should anyone dare to disagree or fail to warm up to them, we almost instinctively get our back up and get ready for a battle. And that’s when we get off track. Instead of solving problems, we persist in pursuing ill-conceived solutions.
This is why thinking it through is so critical. In his book, “How to Think,” Alan Jacobs says thinking is “not the decision itself but what goes into the decision, the consideration, the assessment. It’s testing your own responses and weighing the available evidence.”
Point: In other words, thinking something through means considering the consequences.
5. Make it personal
Even the most carefully prepared and “polished” presentation can fall short of its goal. While we may think we “aced it,” those listening may think differently.
Here’s the problem: By putting so much energy into getting the words, tone, gestures and everything else right, we get all wrapped up with what we want to get across. When this happens, we unintentionally build a barrier that separates us from our listeners, readers or customers.
In his book, “To Sell is Human,” Daniel H. Pink tells what an Israeli radiologist did to overcome the impersonal nature of his job. He imagined every scan he looked at was that of his father. “You can borrow from this insight with this simple technique for moving others,” writes Pink. “In every encounter, imagine that the person you’re dealing with is your grandmother.”
Point: Unless we make it personal, it can end up as a stupid mistake.
John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com.
