Change isn’t just inevitable—it’s the lifeblood of growth. But why do so many organisations fight it tooth and nail? The answer lies in three invisible forces: blind spots, sunk costs, and cognitive dissonance. Let’s break down how these psychological barriers hold teams back and how to turn resistance into relentless momentum.

🔍 Blind Spots: The Johari Window’s Wake-Up Call

Every leader has blind spots—the gaps between how they see their organization and how others perceive it. The Johari Window model reveals four quadrants of self-awareness, but the Blind Spot quadrant is where transformation begins.

• What’s hiding here? Feedback you’ve ignored. Market shifts you’ve underestimated. Cultural friction your team feels but won’t voice.
• The cost of ignorance: Stagnation. Think of the leader or team member who doubles down on a failing strategy because they’re convinced “this is how we’ve always done it”.

Ask yourself: What if your greatest risk isn’t the change itself, but refusing to see the need for it?

💸 The Sunk Cost Fallacy: When Pride Outweighs Logic

We’ve all been there: pouring time, money, and energy into a project long after it stopped serving us. Why? Because walking away feels like admitting defeat. The sunk cost fallacy chains organizations to the past.

• Examples in action:
  • Clinging to outdated tech because “we’ve invested too much to quit.”
  • Keeping underperforming teams intact to avoid “wasting” prior training.

Break the cycle: Evaluate decisions based on future value, not past investments. Ask: “If we started fresh today, would we choose this path?”

🧠 Cognitive Dissonance: The Battle Between Comfort and Courage

Humans crave consistency. When new processes clash with old beliefs, cognitive dissonance triggers resistance. Employees think: “This change contradicts what I know—so it must be wrong”.

• The stories we tell:
  • “The old way worked fine.”
  • “This new system is too complicated.”.

Flip the script: Align changes with core values. Show teams how the new direction fulfills their deeper “why” (e.g., “This isn’t about software—it’s about freeing you to focus on high-impact work”).

🚀 The Path Forward: 3 Strategies to Lead Change Fearlessly

1. Expand your “Open Arena” (Johari Window):
   1. Solicit brutal feedback. Host anonymous surveys. Bring in external auditors. Shrink blind spots by seeking truths you’ve been avoiding.
2. Conduct a “Sunk Cost Audit”:
   1. List every project, policy, or habit. Ask: “Does this serve our future, or are we clinging to ghosts of the past?”.
3. Reframe the narrative (Combat dissonance):
   1. Acknowledge discomfort: “Change is messy—but so is growth.”
   1. Celebrate small wins to build psychological safety and momentum.

Final Thought: Resistance isn’t the enemy – it’s a signal. A signal that your people care that your legacy matters, and that breakthroughs are closer than they appear. The question is: Will you lead with the courage to see what’s hidden, let go of what’s holding you back, and align your actions with the future you’re destined to claim?

The floor is yours. What blind spot will you conquer today? 🔥

Inspired by the work of Joseph Luft, Harrington Ingham, and decades of behavioral science research. Special thanks to the teams at Asana, Shopify, and 5 Forces of Change for their insights.

Sources

1. https://www.valueprop.com/blog/the-johari-window-uncovering-the-blind-spots-in-business 
2. https://www.bitesizelearning.co.uk/resources/the-johari-window-explained
3. https://blogs.unb.ca/cel/2021/01/great-leaders-always-check-their-blind-spots.php 
4. https://asana.com/resources/sunk-cost-fallacy 
5. https://www.shopify.com/au/blog/sunk-cost-fallacy  
6. https://www.tasmanic.eu/blog/cognitive-dissonance/
7. https://5forcesofchange.com/overcoming-cognitive-dissonance-for-successful-change/  
8. https://www.activehealthgroup.co.uk/post/cognitive-dissonance-in-decision-making-a-deep-dive-into-how-conflicting-beliefs-impact-choices