Who do you know who is feeling stuck, under-performing, or dealing with frustration and upset?

These folks might be suffering from FLAT WORLD THINKING SYNDROME! (FWTS)

"Flat World Thinking Syndrome" is the number one issue standing between predictable performance and breakthrough performance. Allow me to illustrate...

For hundreds of years (and perhaps thousands for that matter) mankind believed the earth was flat. Their perspective on the universe held the planets and the sun revolving around the earth. Sailors were afraid to lose sight of land on sea going journeys because they knew if they went too far, they'd fall off the edge.

The fear of falling off the edge of the earth really put the dampers on exploration. The fear was the result of "FWTS." Then comes along Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who in 1612 confirms the Copernican theory using his newly designed telescope, that the earth is indeed round and the sun is actually the center of the universe.

Was Galileo's discovery readily accepted by the thinkers of his day? NOT AT ALL! In fact, he was given the choice at the Inquisition of 1632 to recant his theoryor die. He decided dying sounded like a tough option so lived until his death as an old man under house arrest.

Moral of the story: Flat World thinkers are not necessarily interested in new perspectives. They're interested in the comfort zone and being RIGHT! As a result, they stay stuck.

"Flat World Thinking Syndrome" shows up in our business lives.

The Business Flat World Perspective: There are hundreds of illustrations we can pull from the business world. Perspectives and strategies that worked in 1982 are outdated today. For example:

1. The Customer Is Always Right! (FWTS Model): Let's face it; the customer is NOT always right. Yet for years, we tell our people the customer is always right! What's the danger in this message? Your credibility! If I'm the new hire on your team, it doesn't take long for me to figure out what you're saying and what I'm experiencing are two different things. My B.S. meter goes up and your credibility goes down. Credibility goes down and then trust begins to erode. And then