more so. At British Airways, for example, we believed the British public
wanted to accept us as a world airline, with world images as our symbols.
We were wrong and set about listening closely to what our customers and
the public at large were asking of us. The image has accordingly been very
successfully adjusted and we have re-established a valuable, productive
relationship with our customers.
It is refreshing to read such sentiments. All too often we hide
behind experts. Shunryu Suzuki summarizes this attitude by say-
ing: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the
expert’s there are few.” It is a sad fact of increased competence that
it seems to make people less willing to consider other possibilities
or alternatives. It is, therefore, even more important to ensure that
as you become more technically skilled in anything, you keep your
mind open to feedback from others and evaluation from yourself.Here are some other barriers to reflecting. How would you overcome them? What other
barriers would you add?Barrier Means of overcoming it
It’s difficult to admit to making mistakes
You may get into trouble if you admit your mistakes
It’s easier not to start a line of thinking that may lead to changes
Reflection is not real work
There is nowhere to reflect quietly
It’s hard work thinking about why things work and don’t work
One of the subtle ways in which feedback can sometimes seem to
be a burden is because of the word “back.” Busy people find it psy-
chologically difficult to allocate time to looking at what has already
happened, but are much more ready to invest their efforts in the
future. (Of course, feedback is designed to help you avoid the mis-
takes of the past as you move forward, but it does not always feel
like that to some.)Reflectiveness 205