Reclaim Your Thinking

In his book Think Again, Adam Grant presents the Confidence Sweet Spot matrix to illustrate the interplay between confidence in our ability and certainty in our methods to execute a strategy.  

Quadrant I is Debilitating Doubt – we may experience debilitating doubt if we are uncertain about our strengths and strategies. 

Quadrant II is Obsessive Inferiority, which comes when we are sure about the method but insecure about our ability to execute it.

Quadrant IV, the sweet spot called Confident Humility, is where security in our ability, specifically, our ability to learn and acquire new competencies, and the appreciation that we do not have the right solution to address the current problem harmoniously intersection. Within that intersection, we function best, for we have the mental agility to reexamine previous knowledge and the self-assurance to pursue new competencies. 

Healthy organizations led by healthy leaders inspire employees to live in the sweet spot. Confidently humble employees take risks to innovate, act on their imagination, recognize that they are flawed and fallible, and openly reflect on their mistakes.

Conversely, in workplaces marred by perfectionism, leaders spend little time identifying what’s correct and too much time calling out what’s wrong. They may not openly admit faults or invite dissenting views. In turn, fearing penalty and ostracization, employees hide or omit fallacies or only support the most universally accepted ideas and methods, even if they are damaging or incorrect. 

What I have experienced and witnessed in others, existing in such a workplace can damage one's mental wellness. We find ourselves stuck in Debilitating Doubt or Obsessive Inferiority. We are unable to explore new things or find self-confidence.

However, we can choose to heal and move from Debilitating Doubt or Obsessive Inferiority.

You may seek to heal from Debilitating Doubt and Obsessive Inferiority linked to working a perfectionist work culture. Here is one strategy to move to Confident Humility: 

1. Reclaim Your Thinking: Interpret your self-doubts differently. See doubt as an indication that you must improve your tool.