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“Is this really the same guy I shared lunch with in school? How did he turn out this way? Is he really so rabid? Why is he so stupid?”.

Have you read WhatsApp messages on a school group and reacted in this manner. Their views feel so far removed from yours that it’s hard to reconcile the person with the opinion.

And if you bothered to question that person’s point of view, he too would probably feel the same about you.

Today’s story will perhaps give us an insight into a better question to ask, instead of “how on earth can you support this”. We will learn how sometimes, the right question doesn’t deepen disagreement.
It dissolves it.

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Have you ever blindly followed Google Maps... only to end up somewhere you definitely shouldn't be? I have.

That tiny frustration reveals a much larger pattern in business: we increasingly hand over judgment to external “advisors” — data dashboards, predictive models, algorithms, and now AI systems. They’re often remarkably accurate. That’s exactly why they’re dangerous.

When tools are consistently right, we gradually stop questioning assumptions, challenging blind spots, or cross-checking with reality. We trade active thinking for comfortable certainty.
Then — when conditions shift and the tool fails — the fallout is massive. Not because the tool was broken, but because no one was paying attention anymore.

Across eras and industries, the same trap repeats: leaders delegate too much critical thinking, mistaking reliable forecasts for infallible truth.

The real leadership edge today? Staying mentally engaged.

Relentlessly asking:
“Does this still hold up?”
“What are we not seeing?”
“What happens if the pattern breaks?”
In today’s episode, I unpack three striking real-world examples that drive this point home.

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Answer this question with a yes or a no - Do you believe that intelligent human beings usually take rational decisions?

Most business strategies are built on a quiet assumption: that customers behave rationally. For example, we believe that if we make something cheaper, faster, or more efficient, people will naturally choose it. But real life rarely works that way. Human beings don’t experience value like spreadsheets do. We experience it emotionally, socially, and psychologically.

This week’s story explores a powerful idea from behavioural economics: the difference between economic value and psychological value. Two offers can be mathematically identical, yet one feels irresistible while the other feels dull. One gets ignored. The other becomes a story people retell.

The takeaway is that in a world obsessed with data and rational optimisation, the most powerful lever for growth might just be human psychology itself.


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Many professionals spend their entire career sharpening the same set of skill. Because it is initially rewarded because it gets the job done, many double down on what has already made them successful. That is why many eventually plateau.

But as the famous saying goes, what got you here won’t get you there.

Today’s story is a reminder that breakthrough performance and exponential growth rarely comes from going deeper into your own domain. It often comes from stepping completely outside it.


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Sometimes it seems companies build fortresses to protect themselves from customers rather than bridges to welcome them in.We have all been in situations where we have an issue. Perhaps small. A damaged item. A blotched service. A promise not kept.

We make the call, send the email, and follow the process. We are polite. We are patient. We just want someone to listen, to take ownership, to make it right.

Instead, we hit a wall of indifference. Automated replies. Siloed departments. Inflexible policies. We are passed from one person to another, each powerless to help, each reading from a script that wasn't written for humans. We start to realise that for them we are just a service request number.For a business, this is the most dangerous kind of blind spot.This story will resonate with many of us as consumers but I also hope as business leaders we will ask ourselves What small signals are we missing because our systems aren't built to listen?

This is a powerful reminder that in today's world, every customer holds a microphone. Compassion and empowered problem-solving aren't just nice-to-haves; they're our most vital risk mitigation strategy.


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Revenue numbers, quarterly goals, stretch KPIs are all very important. The problem starts when those become the only focus. When the focus should be on the TASK, we have people stressing about the ASK.

When we obsess over outcomes alone, shortcuts replace discipline and anxiety replaces clarity.

The more obsessed we become with outcomes, the harder those outcomes become to achieve.

High performers know something counter-intuitive: results are not chased—they emerge.

Let’s relive this simple principle from an unexpected place that explains this beautifully.

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When I heard that over the last 60 years, Japanese school children learn a story about a Sri Lankan athlete, I was intrigued.

Sports and sportsmen often teach us lessons that transcend way beyond sports.

The Olympics of 1964, held in Tokyo, taught us one such lesson. In a world obsessed with winning, this incident teaches us about the responsibility of finishing things.

If I had to choose 10 of my favourite English words then grit and perseverance would surely feature in that list.


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Wishing your loved ones and you a year when your best stories are written.

In one of my favourite non-fiction books, “Influence” by Robert Cialdini, he speaks about seven levers of influence—but today’s story is anchored in just one: Reciprocity.

This is a deeply human story. One that restores faith. And I couldn’t think of a better way to begin the year.

I hope you enjoy the story

As leaders step into a new year, here’s a question worth pondering on:

What is the one thing you value the most in your professional life—and under what circumstances would you be willing to put it at risk for a purpose larger than yourself?

Because that’s often where credibility is earned, trust deepens and influence quietly grows.

2026 is a blank page.

I hope you choose to write a courageous story in it.

See you next Saturday.



For more #storiesatwork do have a look the playlists of stories on our website - https://bit.ly/SW_Stories
Your friends and family can join our WhatsApp group to get copies of our videos. https://bit.ly/SW_WA_11

Our website has a video version of this story. https://storyworks.in/storybanks/

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