Do you leap to conclusions? I do. In fact, there are times when I should win a prize for do so. But this is nothing to be proud of. It has gotten me in trouble countless times.
I had an epiphany, however, when a good friend and colleague recently reframed this habit for me. Andre vanHall has been a long-time senior leader in the hospitality industry. He now helps organizations focus on encouraging the curiosity in their people. After all, in a world filled with rules and regulations, we need all the curiosity we can muster to battle the limiting rules around us. Otherwise, no one grows. Without growth, effective decision making is impossible.
Andre argues that rather than immediately judging a situation, we should stop to assess what the situation is all about. Pam Gordon, another colleague of mine, explains this phenomenon as “getting to neutral.” In other words, we can’t make effective decisions unless we are as free from biases as we can be before taking action. I discuss all this in Chapter Seven of my book, Figure It Out!. Whatever the method, better decisions come from forming better habits and withholding judgment until we have clear picture of both the issue and the context around it.
Now, you may be thinking, “Well, duh! Everybody knows all this.” But here’s the challenge – How often do you rush to judgment anyway? I’ve fallen on my sword. How about you?