{"id":80047,"date":"2025-11-04T10:21:28","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T23:21:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/?p=80047"},"modified":"2025-11-07T13:39:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T02:39:51","slug":"futurist-urges-advisers-to-rewire-negative-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/2025\/11\/04\/futurist-urges-advisers-to-rewire-negative-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Futurist Urges Advisers to Rewire Negative Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Behavioural scientist and futurist Milo Wilkinson<\/strong> told delegates at the 2025 Bombora Advice Conference that human behaviour is far more predictable \u2014 and far more resistant to change \u2014 than most people realise, warning that advisers must understand these instincts if they are to lead clients effectively through uncertainty.<\/p>\n

…human beings are wired for risk, not optimism<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wilkinson, who works globally with corporate and elite sporting teams, said human beings are \u201cwired for risk, not optimism,\u201d with around 73 per cent of daily thoughts being negative and most repeated from one day to the next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looped as a species,\u201d she said. \u201cNinety-two to ninety-five per cent of the thoughts you had yesterday are the same as today \u2014 and will be the same tomorrow \u2014 until you decide to break the script.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognising the Brain\u2019s Biases<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wilkinson explained that humans evolved to survive in small, familiar groups, not in complex modern environments, and this creates deep-rooted biases that can influence decision-making. A famous Yale experiment, she noted, demonstrated that even infants show an instinctive preference for others who behave like them.<\/p>\n

We are born to create bias against people who are not like us…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe are born to create bias against people who are not like us,\u201d Wilkinson said. \u201cThe beauty in human behaviour \u2014 and in business \u2014 comes from difference. Diversity is where true progress sits.\u201d<\/p>\n

She warned that advisers, like all professionals, risk surrounding themselves with \u201cmini-me\u2019s\u201d who reinforce existing beliefs rather than challenge them, and that cognitive diversity within advice practices can enhance both problem-solving and client engagement.<\/p>\n

Understanding the Limits of Mental Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wilkinson also highlighted the brain\u2019s limited daily energy supply, describing it as a \u201cpower bank\u201d with only five bars of capacity. Each decision or emotional response consumes part of that reserve, leading to mental shortcuts and biases later in the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the afternoon you\u2019re on one bar of power,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s not the time to make big decisions about your business or your marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brain, she said, constantly \u201cculls\u201d information to conserve power \u2014 a function that helps efficiency but can also cause people to ignore critical data that challenges their worldview. Advisers, she suggested, need to remain conscious of this filtering effect, especially when assessing client risk tolerance, business strategy or market trends.<\/p>\n

Change and the Psychology of Loss<\/strong><\/p>\n

Turning to the theme of change, Wilkinson argued that while humans are neurologically built for adaptation, they are psychologically anchored to loss.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not afraid of change …We\u2019re afraid of what we\u2019ll lose because of it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not afraid of change,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re afraid of what we\u2019ll lose because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She urged advisers to acknowledge and discuss perceived losses \u2014 whether financial, emotional or procedural \u2014 when leading clients or teams through transitions. Doing so, she said, accelerates acceptance by up to 60 per cent compared with traditional \u201ccommand-and-control\u201d methods.<\/p>\n

\u201cReconcile the loss first,\u201d Wilkinson advised. \u201cA 10-minute conversation about what people think they might lose will move them through change much faster than dragging them along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Arrows and White Arrows: Choosing Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout her address, Wilkinson returned to the concept of \u201cred arrows\u201d (negative thoughts) and \u201cwhite arrows\u201d (positive ones), encouraging advisers to recognise but not dwell on the red.<\/p>\n

…the white arrows are where growth and innovation happen<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe are naturally drawn to red arrows \u2014 to what\u2019s wrong, unfair or risky \u2014 because the brain delivers those five times faster,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the white arrows are where growth and innovation happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

For advisers, she suggested, consciously hunting for \u201cwhite arrows\u201d \u2014 constructive opportunities and learning moments \u2014 can reshape team culture, improve resilience, and strengthen client relationships.<\/p>\n

Adapting for the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wilkinson also addressed broader societal shifts shaping client psychology. From digital ownership models and personalised marketing to changing generational attitudes toward wealth and consumption, she said advisers must understand not just financial trends but behavioural ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to make sense to you,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just needs to make sense to the person it makes sense for.\u201d<\/p>\n

She closed by urging advisers to \u201cstay curious,\u201d lean into discomfort, and build self-awareness around their own thinking patterns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere you put your mind, your business will follow,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can\u2019t control our first thought \u2014 but we can control what we do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Behavioural scientist, criminal profiler, high-performance sporting and corporate coach and futurist, Milo Wilkinson delivered an engaging and highly-relevant presentation to the 100+ attendees at the 2025 Bombora Conference in Hobart…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Behavioural scientist and futurist Milo Wilkinson told delegates at the 2025 Bombora Advice Conference that human behaviour is far more predictable \u2014 and far more resistant to change \u2014 than most people realise, warning that advisers must understand these instincts if they are to lead clients effectively through uncertainty. …human beings are wired for risk, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":80049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[241,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-conferences-and-events","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}