Question of the week 8: Complacency

Hi and welcome to this week’s ‘question of the week’. The word that will be covered in today’s question is ‘complacency’.

Question: Should complacent individuals accept change?

The term complacency is defined as a feeling of self-satisfaction where one tends to stop looking at threats and dangers. It puts an individual in a false sense of security. For instance, a person that keeps winning in tennis may become complacent, thinking that he or she has a winning training schedule and technique, and thus not training as hard as other competitors. The result is then a heavier upset when he or she loses.

The question looks at how winning individuals cope with losing. Confidence is built in how a person acts and behaves, and its successes may create a resistance to change. A successful CEO may not want to leave a company because he or she thinks its success will continue to come from him or her, even when the business environment is changing constantly over time. This is found not just in business, but also in sports. A star football player, basketball player, or motor sport racer starts by training hard and creating a reputation. However, once the reputation is made, he or she then thinks that the successes will continue. This can be especially seen in athletes returning from retirement, where the successes haven’t carried on due to changes in, for instance, techniques and training in the sport.

As such, individuals should be alert of their complacency, not think that their successes will last, and that they should continuously improve. Complacent individuals should also realize that their success is only temporary, and that times will change.

In short: Complacency, which is achieving self-satisfaction without being aware of threats and dangers, should be recognized and be a warning for the need to exert more effort. Success should be seen as only temporary, and that change is inevitable.

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