Are you a good sense-maker

That's sense not cents!

 

We live in a complex, fast-paced world where events and experiences oftentimes don't make sense. But we do want to make sense of the world around us. In particular, we want to know why something has happened, and we want to see things coming in the future.

 

We hope that the world is rational-that is, that there is a cause-effect relationship to life's events. This is especially true around negative events. Why has this bad thing happened? What could have been done to prevent it? Who is to blame? Assigning blame is a common way to make sense of bad things and to be assured that for every bad thing there was a logical cause. We prefer not to believe that things just happen randomly.

 

Many of us rely on others to interpret the meaning of events. Often, their opinions don't make sense or are just wrong. Sometimes they are lucky and get it right. Sense-making is more of an art than a science.

 

While I am far from an expert on "sense-making," I have found it useful to ask myself three simple questions to help guide me in understanding my world.

1.    What's so?

2.    So what?

3.    Now what?

 

What's So?

"You can observe a lot by just watching." -Yogi Berra

 

To understand the world around us, we must first observe what is going on.  Unfortunately, many of us are so busy and distracted by "doing" that we have a hard time observing. We also suffer from "observation dementia." We are overloaded with "stuff," and our capacity to remember and process is limited. Unless what we see has immediate relevance, we will forget it.

 

Some things we see are actually a "mirage" from the past. Let me give you an example. How many of you have experienced a conversation with a teenage child during which he or she declared with authority, "Dad [or Mom], you're clueless!"  Regrettably, the teenager was probably right. Parents don't see or experience the world through the eyes of a teenager. The world we grew up in is different from the world our children experience. In many cases, parents are oblivious to today's teenage experience. While there are many things we think we know, there are also some things for which we are "clueless."

 

We may be able to get a "pass" for being "clueless" at the dinner table, but the Board Room is a different story. Leaders are expected to know "what's so" with customers, competitors, suppliers, financiers and employees.

 

So What?

Keen observation is necessary but not sufficient. We want to derive meaning from what we see today or expect to experience in the future. In most cases, a single observation by itself reveals only a piece of the puzzle. Perspective is needed to recognize patterns, discern trends and understand the potential implications of what we see. Context is essential in interpreting meaning. Two similar events in different contexts will likely hold different meanings. Our tendency, however, is to quickly evaluate what we see before we actually understand what it could mean. Is this good or bad? Do I agree or disagree? 

 

Few of us have the patience required to weave together glimpses of information into a clear picture. Yet, if you show the picture to different people, you are likely to get differing interpretations. Our lens on the world is colored by our values and life experiences. We can easily debate the meaning of events as a set of competing truths.

 

Part of our interpretation of what we see in the present is based on our understanding of the causal factors from the past.  Similarly, we seek to understand the what may be the effect in the future of something that occurs today. We commonly call this learning. I call it educated guessing.

 

Now What?

When we sense new information or a new event, our instincts prompt us to act or react, especially if we think we are approaching a crisis. However, if it is difficult to observe what is going on and easy to debate what it might mean, you can imagine the difficulties in deciding what, if anything, to do.

 

If we are myopic in how we view our environment, it is easy to be blindsided and scramble to respond. Some will want to learn from similar events in the past. "I've seen this before, and we should do this." There is comfort in repetition, but a change in context can easily lead to an inappropriate action. On the other hand, a "thoughtful response" can easily be a delayed response.

 

Leaders who have natural sense-making skills maintain perspective, see things that others miss, know how to interpret meaning in the proper context and, finally, know when, how and how much action, if any, is required.  When these things all come together, the leader is leading. That's why, in business, they make the big "cents."

 

Pushing the Edge of Your Thinking

 

  1. Who are the best sense-makers in your organization? In your family?
  2. At what aspect of sense-making do they excel?
  3. How can we develop sense-making skills in our business team and with our children?