7 Ways to Overcome the Second-Guessing-Syndrome
Second guessing is a game cowards play with wisdom gained from hindsight.
The announcers yelled, “I can’t believe the call,” when Pete Carroll, coach of the Seattle Seahawks, called a pass play that lost the Super Bowl for his team.
Good and bad of second guessing:
I second guess my decisions, presentation techniques, strategies for dealing with people, and about anything I do that matters.
Second guessing that begins, “What would you do better,” is useful.
Second guessing that ends, “You loser,” encourages discouragement and discourages development.
7 ways to overcome the second-guessing-syndrome:
Leaders who second guess create fearful environments where avoiding mistakes is the goal.
- Limit the playing field. You can’t do everything well.
- Include the people doing the work in planning the work.
- Establish guidelines together.
- Clarify values. If you value excellence, describe it before projects begin.
- Go with the preferences of those doing the work as long as they align with mission and values. Imposing your preferences creates disengaged robots.
- Create a culture where looking back is about celebration and improvement.
- What are we learning?
- How can we be better?
- What routines protect success?
- Combine strengths. Bring doers and dreamers together, for example.
Mistakes made with gusto are better than mediocrity that grinds on.
Second guessing with volunteers in nonprofits:
Dysfunctional volunteers think everything should be done their way.
- Don’t allow those who aren’t doing it to sit on the sidelines barking instructions.
- Expect volunteers to seek more feedback than they give. Ask, “Do you mind if I give you some feedback?”
- Fuel energy and marginalize weakness. Ask, “How does your suggestion energize their strength?”
- Establish recurring opportunities for forward-facing input.
- How can we be better?
- How are we maximizing each others passions and strengths?
- Where can the horses on the track take us?
Read input on second guessing from Facebook fans.
How can leaders transform second guessing into useful input?
Dan,
Second guessing I think is human nature especially if we have made mistakes in the pasts, we have the “doubt syndrome” in ourselves until you achieve success along the way building ones confidence, character, and strengths, definitely a learning curve through live. I’m not sure if we ever totally get past the second guessing ourselves and doubtful moments! Surely by surrounding oneself with knowledgeable partners helps on navigate the course.
Thanks Tim. I agree completely. I’ll go so far as to say that we should keep second guessing. It’s a form of evaluation. But, there is that dark, nasty side that doesn’t help. Cheers
I think that trust is important. Trust in yourself as a leader but also trust in your team members. I believe in no doubt. Just go for it. Nothing fails…and if it fails, accept and embrace your learning moments. Same goes for my team. Thanks Dan 🙂
Thank you for your insight Dan. I completely agree that there is a dark and light side of this discussion.
I have seen too many times evaluators/executives second guess and be fearful of commitment based on past failures. But the great leaders learn from those previous failures and improve themselves and their organizations. This is a critical difference between the dark and light side of second guessing (and effective decision making).
Great leaders have conviction in their values and purpose and drive continuously towards that. Thereby, reducing if not altogether eliminating, second guessing (and ultimately delaying decisions that need to be made).
Thanks again for the very timely topic (related to the superbowl as well as my own environment). I push for clear decision making and eradication of second guessing as a way to be the leader that I need and want to be.
Regards
I really like “What routines protect success?” It’s a nice way of acknowledging that some routines are healthy and asking people to evaluate the things they do that have become habit.
I don’t know if someone here coined this phrase or if it has been borrowed from others so I can’t give proper credit but, as an investment firm built on analytics, we repeat often – “Hindsight is 20/20 … but only if you look.” Doubt is natural whenever you have less than 100% certainty — which is most of our life choices. The term “second guessing” has a negative connotation because the term “guessing” seems like nothing more than a coin flip decision and doesn’t give credit to the enhanced odds of success created by reasoned thinking and business intelligence (measured or unmeasured). I like the concept of the post-mortem (even though that term is associated with events darker still). The questions “What happened and why?” and “Should we have seen this coming and how do we make sure it doesn’t happen again?” should be required of all large decisions in order to truly learn from our failures. In fact, I would assert that our larger “successes” should be subject to the same analysis in order to shine light on potential false positives driven by luck more than reasoned skill and ensure they are not inappropriately used as positive reference points going forward.
Number 5 reminds me of a quote by Ronald W. Reagan. “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.” This quote hangs on my office wall.
Good post and good discussion. Agreement here is solid.
Second guessing CAN (and should) be part of the learning experience – call it reflection. I think that it CAN be that “after-action review” that is a requirement for learning. The lawyers talk about “unanticipated consequences” as nonsense, suggesting that all consequences can be anticipated with due-diligence and sufficient thinking. So, was that decision really considered or was it simply defined and implemented. Maybe some second-guessing BEFORE the play is called is needed.
Devil’s Advocate is a role within a group for someone to challenge all the assumptions before the decision is implemented. It is an intentionally negative second-guessing role and defined and assigned as such.
A positive discussion about potentially bad decisions before the implementation is not such a bad idea. Of course, too much of that generates frustration and analysis paralysis kinds of performance.
I guess it is in how we spin this. Do we toss up a Blame Frame around those involved or do we look at things as a learning experience? This might be useful here: “The 6 Phases of a Typical Implementation”:
Enthusiasm for the idea and the initiative
Disillusionment with initial results
Panic as things fall apart
Search for the Guilty
Punishment of the Innocent
Praise and Honor for the Non-Participants
(I love that last one!) Keep your chin up and your head down!
BTW, here is an outstanding article on memory, and how it tends to NOT reflect reality over time. It, too, is part of this learning experience and how our brains deal with disconfirming information about things:
http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/idea-happened-memory-recollection
It is a good general read on the reality of organizational and individual memory and how we can actively reframe performance to anchor down more of the positives.
It reminds me that History is written by the winners.
I prefer to ask, “Are you open to feedback?” instead of asking, “Do you mind if I give you some feedback?” If they aren’t going to pay attention then the feedback is often wasted. Thanks to KAM.
John – My mom asks me that kind of thing before she will unload on the “constructive criticism” — the latter is an oxymoron. My Mom has been sharing that kind of help for all of my 66 years!
Trust is the residue of promises fulfilled and coaching is a good idea in general, but it is probably MUCH better that you ask THEM what they think rather than simply asking for your permission to unload, especially if trust and respect are lacking.
Workplace Trust (oxymoron) is generally horrendous in many places and 50%+ of the workforce feel their boss does not respect them.
The approach to asking for permission can work, but it is not as simple as that from my experience in issues of people and performance and organizational development.
Yeah. Another favorite quote is, “Nothing made sense, and neither did anything else.”
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Scott, you’re right about “constructive criticism.” I always start to shiver when I hear those words.
What about the word CRITIQUE when it comes to reviewing performance both excellent and performance that hasn’t worked? Critique–when used by capable, practiced and compassionate practitioners–is always “constructive” and helpful…and even motivating.
Timing can be everything. If the second guessing comes AFTER a decision has been made it instills fear and anxiety in the team. Second guessing should be a part of decision-making as part of the evaluative criteria BEFORE the team moves forward. . . then live with the consequences.
Still a bad call – in the important moment moments stay true to your core
Those that like to play armchair quarterback and second guess the mistakes of others typically are afraid of taking any risks. As such, they never get to enjoy the great successes of life. I have to agree that “Mistakes made with gusto are better than mediocrity that grinds on.”
Jay – I am not sure what you share about risk taking. Risk takers are people who analyze and look at situations before they take action. They often take different paths from others simply because they see things differently. They take calculated risks more than just go wildly about.
Risk taking is not mistake making. It is a common misconception.
I did a 130 meter bunjie jump in New Zealand – many would call it risky but it was perfectly safe; hundreds of people had done it before me and the equipment and the operaters were very professional. Was the owner of this facility (Hackett) a risk taker in putting it together or simply a really good businessman who has made safe adventure available to many thousands worldwide.
Was starting my own company risky? It’s been 30+ years now…
Many of us second-guess ourselves; I do not see it as a bad thing, since it improves things over the long run. What is the alternative, really?
A great post, Dan! I would like to share with my readers!
“Leaders who second guess create fearful environments where avoiding mistakes is the goal”
They also have trouble really delegating anything, and will never believe anyone can do a job as well as they can. It’s about ego, control, and maybe sometimes a little neurosis. Speak up sooner, keep it positive and constructive, and learn to trust more, assuming you’ve hired the right people to work for you in the first place.
“Second-guessing” or “after action review” is like the difference between “change” and “progress” when something has altered. We like “progress”, we don’t like “change”!
If we can keep the conversation/discussion either in our heads or with others in the neutral territory we’re less likely to enter into that unfortunate judgmental tone. But-I agree with others that those who enter into second guessing not about themselves but their employees or associates are really about control, not creating a learning environment. To me the key is to cultivate the curiosity that drives learning, and avoid the recrimination of punishment if possible.