Don’t dwell on the past

May 20, 2015
There is so much change and discipline required to be in business today, and some shop owners and manager may want to put their head in the sand. But if you give up trying to be the best version of yourself, your actions will haunt you.

Over the last 6 months, has there been a time when you just wanted to give up? Every business person can relate to that question, and let’s be honest, every business person has experienced partial burnout because of being under staffed, which creates a self-overworked syndrome.

So let’s stop feeling sorry for ourselves and understand what has taken place.

There is so much change and discipline required to be in business today. And often the longer you have been in business the easier it is to say, “The heck with it,” and plan to give up. These shop owners and managers may end up putting their head in the sand. Re-read the headline of this article because it is very true. If you give up trying to be the best version of yourself, your actions will haunt you. Tremendous regret will stay with you for the rest of your life, and you may end up saying, “If I only stuck with it and got things done…”

Many business people enter a stage called Business Normalcy Bias. When you are in a state of Business Normalcy Bias it means you are overwhelmed with all the change that is required and simply believe these changes can’t happen. So you say, “Why should I keep trying?” Let’s look at the formal definition of normalcy bias and bring it into context for the shop owner who is going through this.

Wikipedia explains the normalcy bias as “a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster. The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred, then it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.

The normalcy bias may be caused in part by the way the brain processes new data. Research suggests that even when the brain is calm, it takes 8–10 seconds to process new information. Stress slows the process, and when the brain cannot find an acceptable response to a situation, it fixates on a single solution that may or may not be correct.

The normalcy bias also causes people to drastically underestimate the effects of the disaster. Therefore, they think that everything will be all right, while information from the radio, television or neighbors gives them reason to believe there is a risk. This creates a cognitive dissonance that they then must work to eliminate. Some manage to eliminate it by refusing to believe new warnings coming in and refusing to evacuate (maintaining the normalcy bias), while others eliminate the dissonance by escaping the danger.

The shop owner who is in a state of business normalcy bias has been overworked because he or she is not properly staffed and under the assumption that they are saving money. They may have  failed to delegate duties to current staff because they believe only they can do it right. They may have been doing everything themselves and basically running around like a chicken with its head cut off, so they don’t believe they have the time to make the change required to be the best they can be. 

They fall into the state of mind that what they have right now will do just fine, and they believe all the changes required or recommended from the people around them simply aren’t required in their particular case. 

Think about that for a few minutes.

Our industry is in constant change and shop management must learn to adapt, or they will die. Change is NOT an option — it is vital for survival. Slow down and don’t get caught in the mental state of not wanting to work at being the best you can be. Start creating a positive frame of mind by following this exercise: Think of two positive accomplishments or experiences you had today and have your staff talk about two positive things that they experienced or achieved today. Do this each and every day at a 10-minute morning meeting and bring the best out of each day. When you experience a positive atmosphere, you will be in a strong position to carry on with your journey of becoming an outstanding entrepreneur. So many people see the enormous talent in you. Why can’t you? Fix that!

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