There is a tale of a medieval monk who persistently spoke a phrase in Latin Eucharist wrongly -- the correct word was "sumpsimus"; the monk's version was "mumpsimus." As a result, the word came to be applied to someone who sticks obstinately to his or her old ways, in spite of the clearest evidence that this behavior is stodgy and antiquated.

In the business world, some customer service representatives make blind choices to continue to operate with stale, dated attitudes and behaviors, such as "customers don't really count" and not really listening when dealing with customers concerns. The danger of clinging to an obstinate behavior is that it blocks the development of customer loyalty; destroys long-term customer relationships, and prevents businesses from achieving their full potential.

In my experience, "mumpsimus," is rooted in fear. At birth, everyone is born with two fears: the fear of loud noises and the fear of being dropped or falling. All other fears are learned and then developed over our lifetime. Fear can be the most negative force in our lives, creating unintended consequences. Its many forms can include situational fear (such as fear of failure) or emotional fear (such as fear of being judged). Over time, this sense of dread is hotwired to our brain as an automatic disconnect.