Simply stated, another word for an inference is an educated
guess. If I call a team meeting and slam
the door behind me as I enter the room, the people in the meeting might infer
that I am mad about something. This
conclusion has been reached by taking in the evidence that I called a group meeting
then slammed the door after I entered.
No matter how good a guess this is, based on the evidence available, it
is still just a guess. In fact, the only
true way to determine if someone is mad is to ask them. Go back to the definition of an
inference... A conclusion reached on the
basis of evidence and reasoning; nowhere in this definition does it say based
on fact. Moreover, the inference or
conclusion that a person comes up with is often based on their own paradigms
and perceptions, which can mean that if two people have the same evidence in front of them they
can both have difference conclusions.
How do we combat the damaging acts of assuming and
inferring? The two best ways are to seek
first to understand, then to be understood and also by getting to the root
cause.
The following are excerpts, focusing on seeking first to
understand, then to be understood are taken from 7 Habits of Highly of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey...
“Although it is risky and hard,
seek first to understand, or diagnose before you prescribe, is a correct
principle manifest in many areas of life.
It’s the mark of all true professionals.
It’s critical for the optometrist, it’s critical for the physician. You wouldn't have any confidence in a
doctor’s prescription unless you had confidence in the diagnosis.”
“Empathic listening takes time,
but it doesn't take anywhere near as much time as it takes to back up and
correct misunderstandings when you’re already miles down the road, to redo, to
live with unexpressed and unsolved problems, to deal with the results of not
giving people psychological air.
A discerning empathic listener
can read what’s happening down deep fast, and can show such acceptance, such
understanding, that other people feel safe to open up layer after layer until
they get to that soft inner core where the problem really lies.
People want to be
understood. And whatever investment of
time it takes to do that will bring much greater returns of time as you work
from an accurate understanding of the problems and issues and work from the
high emotional bank account that results when a person feels deeply
understood.”
Diagnosis and getting to the root of the problem can
be applied to more than just a process problem using the Lean tools. Root cause analysis can be applied to any
situation where a misunderstanding, rumor or confrontation has occurred. Whether the misunderstanding is yours,
someone else’s or both parties, a true leader (without a title) will strive to
get to why the situation exists in the first place.
The simplest tool for finding the root is to ask why and do
this five times. However, when you ask
why of a person this has the tendency to generate defensiveness in the other
person. Think about it, the last time
someone asked you why you did something your first reaction is usually to
defend why you did what you did, right or wrong, to some degree. Find a way to ask why with a softer approach;
remember that the tone of your voice and body language play a huge role in how
the other person will react to your question(s) and probing.
When you’re getting to the root of the problem in a process
you don’t have to worry about offending the process or hurting its
feelings. However, when getting to the
root of a problem between two people you as the leader MUST consider the other
person’s side of the story. Avoid defending
your side, using accusatory statements, blame, and judgement, doing these
things will only make the situation worse.
Rather, be one hundred percent open to the other side’s concerns and
beliefs and push yourself to see the other side of the situation. As hard as this can be sometimes, this is
what a true leader will do.
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