If you normalize failure in your organization, it can help people deescalate their commitment to bad decisions. Because Kathy pulled the plug on Fogghorn, she was able to pursue a new project which eventually launched her career as an entrepreneur. If what you're doing now is mediocre, it's worth stopping to find that thing that's not.
In life and work, we have a hard time changing course. When we wind up in a miserable job, a failing project, or a floundering romantic relationship, we rationalize, make excuses, and stick with our bad decisions—even when the writing's on the wall. Why? Usually we assume the driving force is sunk costs: we don't want to admit we've wasted that time or money. But in fact, the root of our stubbornness is a psychological trap called “escalation of commitment.” Once we understand that, we can start taking steps to protect ourselves from… well, ourselves. This is an episode of WorkLife with Adam Grant, another podcast in the TED Audio Collective. For more episodes, find and follow WorkLife wherever you're listening to this.