Don't forget about what got better
Negativity bias is the tendency to focus on only those things that aren't working, rather than focusing on what has improved. I've observed that during a switch from one AMS to another, frequently staff will fall into this trap. The result can be as simple as spending too much time on trying to fix something that isn't that important, to the extreme of staff believing the entire implementation has failed.
True story: I once had an executive director tell me an AMS implementation I was assisting with was a "complete failure" (her words) because we had gone live with one piece of functionality still not working. In her mind, this proved the project had failed, even though everything else had launched properly and they had seen many significant improvements over the old system. (The punchline is that not only was the functionality fixed within weeks, but that "failed" system has been used by the association for over 12 years now!)
So our job is to make sure we communicate the successes that any given project has achieved, as frequently as possible. Humans have a tendency to focus on the negative and flat out forget the positives. So we have to help them re-focus by reminding them of everything that has improved.
![]()
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Your vendor will disappoint you
Your vendor will disappoint you I follow politics as a hobby. A past publisher from […]
Learn how to lose
Learn how to lose “Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to […]
Ownership is Required
Ownership is required When asked for the most common reason AMS implementations fail, I typically respond […]
It’s all relative…
It’s all relative… Over the course of my 22 years of consulting, I’ve consulted with […]
Eliminate to optimize
Eliminate to optimize So much of data management is habit (both good and bad) which is […]
For data governance, ask “Why?”
For data governance, ask “Why?” Recently I’ve had the opportunity to work on several data […]
More on Meetings
More on Meetings I’ve written before about the importance of making sure your meetings are […]
Action produces momentum
Action produces momentum Another great quote from James Clear: “Motivation often comes after starting, not […]
My #1 Best Practice…
My #1 Best Practice… A client recently asked me: “If you had to pick a single […]
Encourage engagement with prizes!
Encourage engagement with prizes! One of the biggest challenges any organization faces when implementing a new […]
