The Grizzly Bear...Is self-awareness a curse?

A huge grizzly bear was standing middle of a roaring river stream with his neck extended, jaws open, teeth flaring and trying to catch a jumping Salmon fish…

Suddenly the TV scene stops and a headline reads:

“You probably feel like the bear, we would like to suggest you are the Salmon”

This Ad was designed to sell disability insurance packages in the US, The imagery of a bear and a salmon might symbolize different perspectives on risk and vulnerability, suggesting that while one might feel dominant like a bear, they could actually be more susceptible, like a salmon swimming upstream

In his book “What got you here won’t get you there” Marshall Goldsmith inquires how all of us in the workplace delude ourselves about our achievements, status and contributions

We overestimate our contributions to a project

Take credit partially or completely that belongs to others

Have an elevated opinion of our professional skills and standings among peers

Ignore our failures

Exaggerate our impact and depreciate others

Mostly done unconsciously, this is not necessarily a bad thing….

We are doomed to do this

This delusional effect instills us with confidence and erases doubts while we are fueled by previous track of success

However, these delusions become a liability when we try to change and when we are faced with feedback from someone, we are likely to behave in 3 ways:

We think that this person is confused, misinformed and doesn’t know what he is talking about

We go into denial, how it comes to be like that with all the success I achieved

We kill the messenger…attack and discredit him

Many leaders can’t differentiate between:

I succeeded “because of” &

I succeeded “in spite of” ….

That’s why they stick to their status quo and don’t find a reason to change

They believe that their successful past equally confirms their bright future

So, take a look around you

Why are you there at your position and what makes you to come back day after day?

Is it one of the big four?

Money…Power… Status…Popularity

Or something deeper

If you know what matters to you then it is easier to commit to change

And people only change when what they truly value is threatened

This is our nature!