Self Fulfilling
Self fulfilling prophecies.
Ah yes, I’ve seen a few.
That belief-action cycle can have powerful consequences, and they’re not always those we wish for.
Working with a team leader, it was evident they could not shake the view that the news they were about to deliver to the team would cause conflict. They acknowledged that this belief came from a prior experience, with different people, and was unlikely to be received in the same manner by this team.
And, yet.
During the ensuing discussion, attempts to preempt and appease any potential conflict instead provided the team with the issues and areas for conflict.
The self fulfilling prophecy affirmed the team leader’s view about conflict and around we go again.
How can we break the cycle, get a different result and bring about change? We can start by telling ourselves a different story and let self fulfilling prophecies do their thing … in a good way.
Now there’s a change worth making, don’t you agree.