The price of inaction

I spent some of my Saturday taking care of things I could/should have taken care of earlier in the week. So instead of spending the (beautiful) day as I saw fit, I was playing catch up against a deadline. Trivial as it relates to my day, but quite significant if this reflects a pattern of behavior.

The higher the stakes, the higher the potential price to pay. Avoiding bills will result in some predictable outcomes, as will neglecting to handle administrative tasks in your business. That’s not what I’m talking though, those consequences are obvious.

What we might not think about is the price we pay for not learning lessons the first time we’re faced with them. Example: if a customer responds to your pitch unfavorably, you can either continue trying your same pitch on others, hoping it will eventually work for someone…or you could relentlessly deconstruct and test your approach.

Refusing to learn lessons is dangerous and unwise, for obvious reasons and because we will never know how much [insert something you value] we lose by not learning sooner.

Willie Jackson is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Consultant & Facilitator with ReadySet, a boutique consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a frequent writer and speaker on the topics of workplace equity, global diversity, and inclusive leadership. Connect on LinkedIn or get in touch.

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