Competency-induced Failure

How Leaders Delude Themselves About Disruption

• Why are companies still so vulnerable to disruptive threats?
• ONE problem is that well-intentioned leaders often delude themselves by downplaying disruptive threats or overestimating the difficulty of response

• In simple terms, leaders lie to themselves.

Lie No. 1: “We’re safe.”

Lie No. 2: “It’s too risky.”

Lie No. 3: “My shareholders won’t let me.”

Lie No. 4: “My people aren’t up to the task.”

Organisations fail not because they are incompetent, but because they are too competent at what they already do