Len: And so what we learned about complacency is that number one, the more successful you are, the more vulnerable you are to complacency. Right. So you look at people, you look at businesses, you look at relationships. And that was light bulb number one. I was thinking to myself, "Man, how many times do we say, how could they have fallen so far, so fast, right? How can you know, blockbuster has messed it up? So bad? How could Kodak? How could Sears? How could Circuit City? How could all these businesses that were so big, like too big to fail? How did they miss it?" Right. And so obvious to us right now? How did that happen?

Len: So that was like, I mean, and you say, how did this, you know, these friends that, you know, I've had this long marriage and happy marriage, and all of a sudden they're getting separated or divorced. How does that happen, right? I start saying, Well, gosh, that relates back to this idea that the more success you enjoy, the more vulnerable you become to complacency. So I was light bulb number one. Light bulb number two was this idea that complacency is born from overconfidence and self-satisfaction. Right. And we see it all the time and we see it. You know, there are things that we do because we think we've got it figured all out, right? We understand our competition. We understand our business. We've been doing this for years. Nobody knows it better than us. That's the danger point, right?

Len: Once you start thinking like that, that's when you become vulnerable. And so that was light bulb number two. I was like, "Man, because this is, you know, in law enforcement we talk about, you know, something simple, like doing a traffic stop and we might do ten thousand traffic stops and never have a problem. But with that success, then the danger is that you become overconfident instead of watching where everybody is and watching hands and doing the things that you need to do as you're walking up to a car, you saunter up.

Len: Instead of being aware of where you are in relation to the light behind you in the mirrors you're not paying attention to. When you're talking to the driver, you might lean in and put your elbows on the window or something, and they might put their hand out and you might reach into a car and shake a hand. Right? All things that we're taught not to do because they put us in danger. But you do that enough times with success. And you can convince yourself that you're successful because of the things you're doing, as opposed to the fact that you've been lucky. And so that was kind of light bulb number two, is that this idea that overconfidence can breed this thing? So you want it three light bulbs on it? You didn't give me this question ahead of time. I don't know.

Len: But, you know, I think light bulb number three is how quickly things can turn, you know. And this is what we see in the academy because we watch videos. We, you know, we watch some pretty hard things to watch, you know, things that start out as seemingly innocuous and seemingly safe that can turn on a dime. And all of sudden, someone's getting shot, the magnitude of how quickly things can go from right to wrong. And that's kind of like one of the things I talk about in the book and a saying that I tell my kids all the time is everything goes right until it doesn't. And when it doesn't, it often goes really bad. So just because things are going right doesn't mean they're always going to go right. And that was kind of that third light bulb that says, "You know what? This is something that people need, that I need, that I need to find out for myself." And then because I needed it, I knew that I could translate it to other people.

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