Avoidance is a symptom, not a strategy

Avoidance is a symptom, not a strategy.

Often, avoidance stems from a deeper resistance towards change. Like the infamous story of Blackberry’s downfall. The founders’ bond with their existing product led to a hesitation to innovate.

Their avoidance wasn’t strategic; it was symptomatic of their attachment to past success.

Or let’s take a completely radical example of the bird, ostrich. Known for “burying its head in the sand” (although it’s more a myth than fact), the ostrich has a deeply ingrained response to danger: avoidance.

While it might lower its head to look less visible to predators, this “avoidance” doesn’t make the threat disappear; it simply delays the response, potentially putting the bird at greater risk.

In teams and organisations, avoidance breeds unwanted behaviour that eventually forms the culture. When people feel they can’t express ideas, the team’s collective creativity suffers.

This is more than just a reluctance to speak up, it’s a symptom of a deeper issue in the team environment.

And like Blackberry or the Ostrich, this tendency can be missing out on progress.

So ask yourself: What are you avoiding? And what underlying current is it masking?