The Identity Wall: Why We Reject Ideas

Why your self-concept might be your biggest obstacle to growth

My friend Sawyer called me yesterday. He’s an Investment Banker, and sometimes I imagine the contrast between our daily lives.

“Honestly, that sounds like hell,” he said, in response to a job posting I’d sent him.

I was shocked at the response. The company claims to have built in-house software to automate 80%+ of analyst work with AI. They wanted to hire bankers to use it.

When he called I was thinking about my approach to deepening my technical knowledge. I’ve been frustrated, struggling to get pointed in the right direction. We’re talking.

“Really?” I said. I thought back to all the tasks he’s told me about being up till 3 am completing just in time for his 7 am meeting that next day.

Sawyer laughed. “Yeah, I mean it sounds like they want to get more out of me.” He does 5 deals a year, and now that company wanted someone to do 20-30 with their tech.

I kept thinking about his response after we’d hung up.

Sawyer didn’t hear work smarter. He heard work more. Then it hit me when getting back to my own struggle. Sawyer’s imagined issue and my issue were the same.

We weren’t struggling with bandwidth. We were struggling with identity.

Identity Rejects Innovation