Blind Spots That Are Holding You Back

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If you want to get ahead in your life, you must question everything. Do not get too comfortable with what you already know.

To know more, to relearn what you already know, you must question everything.

Because, according to Danny Warshay, ‘Overfamiliarity can cause us to miss what in retrospect seems obvious.’

‘Our enthusiasm for solving problems can cause us to converge too early on a potential solution, rather than forming a portfolio of options.’

‘We rely too heavily on ‘Corporate Immune Systems,’ which reject not only actual threats but also valuable innovations that compete with existing ways of operating.’

‘We suffer from fixedness- a cognitive bias or a mental block against using something (e.g., an object, an idea, a service) in a new way- which often inhibits our ability to see solutions to a problem.’

‘In a creative process, we tend to add things, which often makes products more complicated, rather than substract things, which often yields simpler and better solutions.’

‘Our personal and organizational resistance to failure limits our ability to learn, iterate, and improve, and it reduces our ability to think big.’

‘To find and recruit team members, you may be tempted to mine your network of close contacts, yet you are better off tapping your weak ties more than your strong ones.’

‘Even in diverse teams, many focus on what they share in common, rather than leveraging the full range of diverse expertise and insight available.’

Source:

Danny Warshay (2022). See, Solve, Scale: How Anyone Can Turn an Unsolved Problem into a Breakthrough Success

How To Level Up Your Life

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Growth doesn’t happen by accident. If you want it, you have got to do the work, the hard work.

Do not focus on what you do not know. Instead, focus on what you can do to change your situation.

According to Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson, ‘You don’t have to be an expert to solve a problem. A lack of knowledge can be a blessing.’

‘Get comfortable with ambiguity. Not having all the answers at the outset can lead you to new ideas and solutions you never would have considered.’

‘Share your ideas with others. … If you don’t share it, no one can help.’

Dig deeper to find the root causes or systemic issues rather than solving for symptoms.’

Acknowledge hurdles and forces that are bigger than you, but don’t let that deter you. Instead, find others to help you tilt the scales in your favor.’

You don’t know what you don’t know. Focus on finding the right questions over the right answers.’

Time kills all deals. Don’t let perfect get in the way of progress.’

Do not play the blame game. Focus on solutions and move on.’

When something fails, mourn and then move on. The next opportunity is around the corner.’

Sometimes what is holding you back is not a glass ceiling but rather a sticky floor. Don’t let your self-doubt overcome you. Why shouldn’t you be the one to solve this problem?’

Source:

Stacey Abrams and Lara Hodgson (2022). Level Up: Rise Above the Hidden Forces Holding Your Business Back