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The silent killer

"The reason men oppose progress is not that they hate progress, but that they love inertia." - Elbert Hubbard

I've been doing a lot of traveling of late (probably too much), presenting to some very large and diverse groups.  Sometimes I'll begin my talks by displaying an image of footprints in the snow, while recounting a powerful, metaphorical story that goes something like this:

Do you remember when, as a child, you'd wake up to a pristine, snow covered landscape? You'd rush out the door on your way to school, zigging and zagging, pushing and dragging your feet to create a one-of-a-kind path?  And invariably, the next kid in the neighborhood would leave his home and follow your crooked path, kicking away more snow on his way.  And then the next kid, and the next, until eventually there was a well-worn, precisely defined route all the way to school.

Well, that's what happens with your mind as well.  If you think the same thoughts, or preformed the same task over and over again, you will develop a neural pathway in your brain.  Like a dry path in wet snow, it becomes a comfortable route; a path of least resistance.  To remove this habit or old way of thinking takes a focused effort. It requires that you step out of your rut and get your brain wet, cold and uncomfortable.

The audience members typically nod, signaling their understanding.  And then they go right back into their subconscious ruts, rejecting new concepts and rationalizing familiar ones.  Men, and women, love inertia.  And to my way of thinking, inertia is the silent killer of most businesses and, in some cases, entire industries.

Inertia in business, both up and down the chain of decision-making, is no different than inertia in other aspects of one's life; it has to do with protecting one's identity, immediate self-interest, and interpersonal relationships.  

Here are just a few thoughts that form when someone is exposed to a new business concept or idea; albeit most are below people's level of conscious awareness:

• If that were true, and important right now, I'd have heard of it already.
• Perhaps I'm simply too old school for this new fangled concept.
• I'm too busy to think about that right now.  I'm way behind on my emails, tweets, follow up calls, appointments, to-do's, etc. and it will only cause me additional work.
• He's saying that what we've done in the past is wrong. We're successful, so he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about.
• If I endorse his idea, what does that say about me and my firm? We're suppose to be the ones with the answers.
• If I change course, so and so will be disappointed and upset with me.  I'll wait and let someone else take the risk and make the decision. 
• That's not what the "book" says.

I'm sure there are many more (If you have a favorite, post it in the comments). My point is simply this: the main enemy of ideas is not fear of change, but love of the way things are right now.  The love of inertia.

Newton's First Law of Motion states that objects in motion tend to remain in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an outside force; objects at rest tend to remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. So if you're stuck, and you know it, your best bet may be to introduce an outside force.

Posted September 28, 2009
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