Speaking Up at Work

CHAPTER 6

Regretting Inaction and the Road Ahead

This final chapter explores the role of regret and whether, over the long term, we regret taking action more than doing nothing. In addition to exploring what the psychology of regret teaches us, we’ll look at self-efficacy, including its sources, as we explore the road ahead. Let’s first look at a story of regretting inaction.

Regretting Inaction

Sharon was head of a $30 million account for a global marketing firm and was leading a global campaign for a well-known consumer product. The client voiced repeated concern that the project team Sharon was leading did not have sufficient global expertise. Sharon agreed but faced a dilemma. While the firm had offices throughout the world, the account was ...