Meet the mind-bugs
During this author’s five years of research he screened more than 125 recognized problems with regard to thinking and decision-making. The following, however, are six mind-bugs pool and spa businesses should watch out for. These should be considered before making decisions to help avoid problems and improve results.
1. Informed leader fallacy
Informed leader fallacy is the belief by a company leader that he/she is better informed and has better instincts than others, simply because he/she is the leader.
This occurs in all business types and sizes, but it is a particular risk for companies in the pool and spa industry because many leaders have typically come up through the business they helped build. They learned their critical skills by doing and by necessity. Early in the process they learned the importance of making others feel positive about their judgment, even without a strong basis.
That said, the amount of success it takes for leaders to become overconfident is not terribly large. Some achieve a reputation for success when, in fact, all they did was take chances which happened to work out. The fierce personal confidence that characterizes many leaders serves as a breeding ground for this mind-bug. Most decision-makers will trust their own intuitions because they think they see the situation clearly. Accordingly, they can fall into a trap of believing they are better informed than they really are and fail to look for, or appreciate, much-needed assistance.
2. Status quo
Most decisions have a status quo alternative; this means doing nothing or maintaining the current or previous decision.
Businesses such as pool distributors, service companies, manufacturers, and retailers affected by this mind-bug cause them to disproportionately stick with the status quo and create significant friction that works against the momentum and traction of new ideas, thinking, and/or options. New evidence that contradicts the status quo is cleverly rejected through the infection of other mind-bugs. Defense mechanisms are triggered and emotions can sometimes reach dysfunctional proportions.
When this mind-bug is deeply entrenched, companies are at significant risk of being displaced by new technology and novel business models. Couple this with leaders who have the ‘informed leader fallacy’ and it is easy to see why the business landscape is littered with the bankrupt remains of some of those companies.
3. Source influence
Source influence is the mind-bug that affects the conditions and inputs that are accepted to be sufficient for decision-making. For instance, when a boss suggests something, some may non-consciously accept it as fact (and sufficient for taking action) without any challenge due to the source of the information.
One reason for this is some may fear conflict by proposing an alternative to his/her boss’s thinking. The stronger the leader’s personality, the greater they will not learn the truth from employees—particularly when he/she appears ‘dug in’ and is prepared to defend their position rather than abandon it.
When employees become conditioned to really believe their boss’s way is best, they fail to put their thoughts on the table. If decisions do not go well, they think they can always blame their boss later. This has the unintended consequence of isolating bosses to the point they do not want to share power. The irony is, when this mind-bug is present, bosses and employees are clueless as to how they are contributing to the problem.
