Why an outside perspective matters
The hardest patterns to change are the ones you have stopped noticing.
Running your business gives you expertise.
It also makes it harder to see what has gradually become normal.1
Nobody walks into their own shop and sees the thing that has been sitting there for nine years. That is not a failure of attention. It is what familiarity does.
An outside perspective helps you:
- Challenge assumptions before they become limitations.1
- Recognize patterns that are difficult to see from inside the business.2
- Apply proven ideas from beyond your industry.3
- See your business through your customers’ eyes.4
- Make decisions based on what comes next, not what has already been invested.5
The goal isn't to know your business better.
It's to help you see it differently.
The research behind this
Samuelson, W., and Zeckhauser, R. (1988). Status Quo Bias in Decision Making. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 1(1), 7 to 59.
Foundational research demonstrating that people naturally favor existing conditions and established ways of operating, even when better alternatives may exist.
Yaniv, I., and Kleinberger, E. (2000). Advice Taking in Decision Making: Egocentric Discounting and Reputation Formation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 83(2), 260 to 281.
Research showing people often discount outside advice while simultaneously benefiting from perspectives less influenced by personal involvement and existing assumptions.
Hargadon, A., and Sutton, R. I. (1997). Technology Brokering and Innovation in a Product Development Firm. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42(4), 716 to 749.
Shows that some of the strongest innovations come from applying proven ideas across industries rather than relying only on internal expertise.
Grinstein, A. (2008). The Relationships Between Market Orientation and Alternative Strategic Orientations: A Meta-Analysis. European Journal of Marketing, 42(1/2), 115 to 134.
Research demonstrating that organizations focused on customers and markets consistently outperform those driven primarily by internal perspectives.
Arkes, H. R., and Blumer, C. (1985). The Psychology of Sunk Cost. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 35(1), 124 to 140.
Classic research showing that prior investments of time, money, or effort can lead people to continue with decisions that no longer serve their objectives.
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