There is a very interesting innate human psychological tendency toward optimism. In fact, as humans, we tend not only to be optimistic, but overly optimistic, even in the face of countervailing evidence. That irrational optimism is called the “optimism bias” and it is extremely well-documented in experimental […]
Blog - Page 16 of 19 - Amie Devero
Quit Early and Often
From the time we are children we are told that persistence is a virtue and quitting is for losers. And in some cases this is definitely true. You will never become a virtuoso pianist if you quit practicing, or get to calculus if you don’t persist at […]
Where There’s Friction
Anyone who has ever worked with machines knows that friction between moving parts is to be avoided at all costs — unless you trying to start a fire with two pieces of wood. Even then, it’s an ineffective method of lighting things. The same principle applies everywhere we […]
Diagnosis without Treatment
We spend a lot of time as consultants and coaches observing how things are, whether they work and what is broken. This isn’t just a consultant’s pastime, it is also a favorite past time of most human beings — not to mention, politicians. We are all […]
Self-Delusion
There’s a curious phenomenon in social psychology, one well-illustrated by the experience of mentalists — magicians who appear on stage a create the illusion of clairvoyance. If you have ever seen one of these masters work, they are very convincing. Their illusion is made all the more […]
Ownership, Grace & Generosity in Failure
Last night in the Superbowl, the South Carolina Panthers were outplayed and trounced by the opposing Denver Broncos. Knowing the final score pretty much exhausts my knowledge of the sport of football. But I watched the post-game interview with losing quarterback Cam Newton, and like many other […]
Challenger Brand or Also Ran
If you follow marketing trends, then you are very aware of the term Challenger Brand. For those of you who don’t know the term, let me explain. The Challenger Brand enters a well-developed market as David to the market-leader’s Goliath. It is Airbnb to […]