Evasion Tactics in Business - When Logic Turns Into Dodgeball

Evasion Tactics 101: If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. And if you can dodge logic, you can dodge accountability.

How teams use flawed arguments to protect bad decisions (and what to do about it)

You’ve been here before.

Someone pokes a hole in the plan. Suddenly, it’s not a conversation. It’s a deflection Olympics.

• “Well, you missed deadlines on XYZ.”

• “Oh, so you just want to kill the whole thing now?”

• “They're new. They don't get it.”

These aren’t rebuttals. They’re evasion tactics — dressed up as debate but designed to shut it down.

And when they become normal? You don’t just lose the argument, you lose your team’s ability to think clearly.

What Are Evasion Tactics in Business?

Evasion tactics in business, they’re not lies. They’re not ignorance.

They’re subtle, knee-jerk patterns meant to:

• Deflect responsibility

• Avoid discomfort

• Protect egos

• And keep flawed logic on life support

  
  

You’ll hear them in every big room that’s allergic to accountability.

Common Tactics (and What They’re Really Saying)

1. Whataboutism

“You missed deadlines on XYZ project, so don’t criticize me.”

Translation: If I can point out your flaw, I don’t have to fix mine.

—

2. Straw Man Arguments

“Oh, so you think we should just cancel the whole project?”

Translation: If I exaggerate your point, I can avoid addressing it.

—

3. Dismissal by Rank, Tenure, or Background

“They're new, they don't understand how we work yet.”

Translation: If I discredit the person, I don’t have to engage with the idea.

—

4. Emotional Diversion

“Honestly, this conversation is just making things worse.”

Translation: Let’s make it personal, so I don’t have to defend the plan.

—

5. Appeal to Consensus

“Everyone else already agreed, why are you still pushing this?”

Translation: We already committed to this logic, please stop examining it.

Why It’s Dangerous

• It protects fragile ideas instead of fixing broken ones

• It signals that critique equals disloyalty, not contribution

• It trains teams to stay silent instead of asking better questions

• It turns strategy into theater — all optics, no execution

Worst of all? It builds a culture where the loudest voice wins… not the sharpest one.

How to Break the Pattern

1. Separate the Idea from the Person: Pushback isn’t personal. Start with: “This isn’t about you — it’s about what’s true.”

—

2. Intervene on the Pattern, Not the Topic: Call out the evasion itself: “Let’s stay on the core question instead of pivoting.”

—

3. Anchor to Outcomes, Not Feelings: Don’t argue opinions, argue impact. Ask: “What result are we trying to protect, and is this idea getting us there?”

—

4. Create a Culture Where “You Might Be Right” Is Normal: Reward teams for revisiting assumptions, not just defending them.

Final Word

A strategy that can’t survive pressure and scrutiny isn’t a strategy.

It’s a PR stunt with budget approval, whether you like it or not.

🔎 Up Next:

We close the series with Cognitive Bias in Disguise — the gut feelings that sound like wisdom, look like leadership… and quietly wreck your decision-making.

You’ll see it in yourself. (That’s the point.)