This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
A Missing Dimension
Many managers are experienced and capable, but not yet masterful. A master is someone who has a comprehensive grasp of all the nuances in his field. On any given day, a person may inadvertently bungle an opportunity, possibly because he or she just doesn’t know that things could be done differently. Renowned social psychologist Dr. Robert Cialdini put it this way: “Bunglers of influence are ethical people who don’t know that there are ways to do things more effectively. They miss the opportunities that are right in front of them.”5
We can find opportunities that we might otherwise miss by examining previously overlooked dimensions or by looking at situations from new angles. The cost of lost opportunity can come in the form of revenue and expenses—even careers.
In my experience, even the most capable people have blind spots; they bungle opportunities because the solutions that are workable never occur to them. Fortunately, this partial blindness is curable, not terminal.