Why We Overcommit, 2040's Ideas and Innovations Newsletter, Issue 122

Issue 122, August 17, 2023

Nike may disagree, but just say no!

Let’s take a pause to consider how we make decisions and why we often over-commit. We wrote an entire book, The Truth About Transformation, about the misconceptions surrounding change and transformation. Many think the greatest obstacle to a significant change is the lack of resources or technological finesse. Those are contributing factors for sure, but the single barrier to change is: Us.

Individuals. Our leadership, management, and workforce. The reasons we do what we do or don’t, why we make one decision or another, why we react, peacock, roadblock, turn away, shut down and yes, overcommit, all result from unconscious and conscious behaviors. To sum it up: We are the most overlooked part of the change equation.

But First, Let’s Reflect for a Moment

Why does it seem so damned hard to recognize what’s right in front of us, or more to the point, staring back at us in the mirror?

We admit that we at 2040 are not organizational p…