The short answer to this question is that complacency hurts more than just you.

The long answer is detailed in the origin of the word and its evolution and before we get into that, here is a personal experience that allowed me to form my opinion on causes and cures for complacency.  

I call it the ER Doctor phenomenon, where a patient is under duress due to an accident or other extreme case scenario requiring immediate attention as deemed by the majority of people; yet the doctors on call take their sweet time to come and treat the patient. 

The patients’ emergency seems to be of little importance to the doctor, because that doctor has seen so many such cases that very little is an emergency from their perspective.

The doctor has become complacent not only to serious medical cases, but also basic human compassion.

I am aware that all of you readers that have been watching Grey’s Anatomy for the past 16 years will probably disagree with me; but, remember that fiction wants to portray an ideal world and therefore reality is a complex opposite.

My mother worked in hospitals for the majority of her career and growing up, I have spent years observing interactions between doctors and patients, within several hospitals, and can deduce such opinion.

With that said, my objective is to merely give an example and not criticize doctors and their practice. The main focus is on what could cause someone who, by belief and conviction is supposed to help people in medical need, end up being indifferent to their suffering? and if a person in such a profession can change in that way then very few are immune to the phenomenon.   

To answer the question, let’s go back to the origin of complacency 

Complacent comes from the Latin “complacere” which means “very pleasing”. The word took on the meaning “pleased with oneself” in 1767, and/or to mean “willingness to please”

Wait, what?! Complacent means “to be pleasing” so how did we get to a place where it became a negative term used as a synonym for lazy or indifferent and even incompetent?

Well the distinction to be made is related to the evolution of the word; but also to the fact that complacent has, a not so evil, twin word: complaisant

Complaisant kept the initial meaning related to be pleasing whereas complacent turned into being pleased with oneself, so much so, that it ends up hurting your performance, mental attitude and your safety as well as that of others.

Now with this knowledge on hand; what could cause a person to become complacent?

I believe that where there is complacency there is almost certainly one or all of the following three elements:

1. Confidence, or rather over-confidence. Being so sure of your skills that you fall in the trap of not needing to build a sense of urgency towards events that require your attention, because you think “I got this”. That may be your perception but in the eyes of your stakeholders, you may seem as complacent and careless.

2. Status Quo, in the sense that you become used to your environment. Believing that no matter what you do, nothing is going to change and so you become complacent. You no longer take action to change yourself or the environment you are in. I have observed this happen with people I coach that have been in the same environment for long periods of time and don’t feel stretched or challenged, so they fall victim to the adage “same work, different day”

3. Excuses! “It won’t work because” or “I can’t because…” Excuses are endless and often linked to limiting beliefs that you either have built in your head or others have convinced you of. Limiting beliefs cause inaction which in turn causes complacency. This is what has come to be called a still mindset because it allows you to rationalize standing still. There is no room for growth where excuses are nurtured.

You might suffer from one or all of these criteria and when you become complacent you are hurting not only yourself but also potentially infecting your direct environment and the people you interact with.

The damage can be far reaching, missing the chance on a promotion, or getting fired affects you and direct family members that rely on you. Not taking action is damaging to your health, mental strength, attitude and results in negative self talk, in addition to feeding your limiting beliefs…

Now, Here’s Good News: You Can Make It with the following cure:

If you notice that you are complacent or are dealing with a complacent team member, here are easy actions to counter it:

1. Purpose: There is always room to find purpose and meaning in what you are doing. My mission is to help transform individuals into the best versions of themselves. Hence all the different media I use to reach people with information, tips and tricks that can be a catalyst to their transformation. When I was working a corporate job, I looked for purpose and meaning within the environment I was in, to stay motivated and serve my bigger picture. Finding purpose doesn’t have to be life altering, it could be as simple as finding the right value in what you are doing.

2. Learning: Look for something new, look for ways to improve. Improve perhaps the process of your work. Look for a new way to complete tasks more efficiently. Or learn more about a skill that will allow you to build your side hustle. Learning, is one of the best antidotes to complacency.

3. Habits: build habits that allow you to feel accomplished. If you finish your work day and have nothing exciting to share or if you don’t feel you have accomplished something then it’s time to build habits that allow you to get more significant work done. It is not about the quantity of work but the value that you attribute to it. Build habits that allow you to do as much as you can do, efficiently, each day

In Conclusion: Complacency is a silent creeper, it finds its way into our existence slowly. No one wakes up one day and decides to be complacent. Events build up over time and act as a catalyst to reduce motivation and increase indifference. One may also be subject to a surrounding of people who are complacent and their behavior could rub off and this is why discipline and building a solid routine with unshakable habits is a good framework to stay on top of your game

…And if you don’t know how to tackle the cure, but you take your development seriously. If you seek growth, success, and are committed to changing into the best version of yourself; then Get in Touch to start your transformation.

Here’s Good News: You can Make It!

Written by Tarek Azmi Founder of Here’s Good News, a leadership and development company dedicated to your personal and professional growth, offering learning modules, coaching solutions and personal training.

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