The why of knowing-doing gap

Musings 1 Minute
  • “I know that I must exercise, but I never seem to get out of the bed in time”
  • “I know that I must start preparing for a project, but I keep delaying it”
  • “I know that I must have the difficult conversation with my colleague, but I keep pushing it”

Knowing-doing gap is real. We all fall prey to it, both in our personal and professional lives.

Here are few reasons that led to KNOWING-DOING gap for me:

  • Lack of conviction – when I agree with something, but only at surface level. Or I do not feel an urgent need to do it… the implications seem way too distant.
  • Inertia – Newton’s first law of motion plays a big role:  a body remains in state of rest or uniform motion unless an external force acts on it. The force was not powerful enough to jolt me out of rest or stop the motion.
  • Overwhelmed by the complexity or newness of the task leading to analysis paralysis.
  • Competing priorities including other deliverables and responsibilities make it hard to find enough time.
  • Pain not equal to gain – the efforts needed to be made for any change is high. The initial results in first few days, weeks or months is minimal. The gains start to multiply much later…

What holds you back? What creates the knowing doing gap?

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Published by Padma Rajeswari

At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog. I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’. Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations. On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on. I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe. On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you!

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