I’m not sure if it was 100% complacency or just a lack of focus, but the Men’s USA Olympic Basketball team nearly lost to Serbia on Friday night, August 12th, 2016. Our Men’s team have been winning games with little effort for years. Even last night during the game, they had a large lead, but they did seem to get over confident and did not recognize that Serbia was not going to give it away. It came down to a last shot by Serbia that could have tied it. It was a great wake-up for the team and another reminder for us as leaders to continually defeat complacency in our businesses and in our lives.
Complacency sets in when you think that everything will continue as always while taking your previous achievements for granted. However, as you take no action to change or adapt, the competition continually adjusts and may overtake you. The status quo is your enemy and adjusting to change should be your focus every day to stay ahead.
“You need to have a redesign because familiarity breeds a kind of complacency.”
-Timothy White, journalist
How are you working to overcome complacency on your team?
Copyright 2016-Stephen McLain