Danger in the Comfort Zone

6

Moving Away From Entitlement—Increase Pressure

The only way to energize lethargic organizations and people is to push them into the psychology of Earning. It usually takes some shaking up—perhaps even a crisis. But after years of avoiding risk, people find any risk frightening. It is important to remember that when there is a lot of Entitlement, any movement toward Earning, even if it is small, feels like Fear at first. That’s why we say that any movement out of deep Entitlement toward Earning always means moving first into Fear. And that’s precisely why it’s so hard.

Naturally, people resist leaving the comfort of Entitlement. When they’re pushed out of it, they will try to return. Even managers have a tendency to return to the bureaucratic ...