Date: 11/16/2016

Title: LEADING THROUGH DENIAL – Part 2

By Bryan Arzani

Denial of the facts doesn’t have to be due to ignorance. It can be due to psychology. In their book Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us, Sara Gorman, PhD and Jack Gorman, MD teach us why we shouldn’t dismiss people who deny facts. While their book largely deals with medical and scientific issues, the basic tenets can be applied to leadership.

Several “causes” of our denial of facts are linked to psychology and listed: conspiracy theory, charismatic leaders, confirmation bias, and risk perception with probability. Let’s discuss these, as they apply to leading others.

Conspiracy theory is just what it sounds like (no pun intended). People think an upcoming change is the result of someone out to make a profit for himself/herself and has been brought about by deceit. For example, “The company has to cut their contributions to my retirement plan, because somebody high up has been skimming profits, and they have to get the money from somewhere to cover it up. You know the audit is in a month.”

Charismatic leaders are interesting people to be around. We are drawn to them, but can’t always state the reason. Or, when we do find the words, they are inadequate. “He is so energetic. I love being around him!” Or, “She just looks so confident. She must be competent.” When drawn to people, we have a strong connection. We turn this connection into a reason to believe what that person is saying, even though they might not have the credentials to be saying it.

To learn more about how to practice this understanding, contact Results Group, LLC at www.ResultsGroupLLC.com or 515-330-2866.