‘The facts never speak for themselves.’ (Geoff Pelham) Res ipsa loquitur. A Latin phrase. It means: the facts are so obvious that no further explanation is needed. ‘Anita is under-performing, despite having been trained. She is clearly incompetent.’ Right? Wrong. Anita may well be incapable of doing the job, but the facts (under-performing; trained) don’t necessarily, of themselves, lead to that conclusion. What if, for instance, she’s trying to cover for an absent colleague at the same time as doing her own job, or if elements have changed that weren’t covered by the training? The focus on Anita, in isolation as an individual, is just one way of construing a situation. If we were to zoom-out, as with a camera, who and what else comes into view and what questions could that raise? For instance: Who sets the performance standards? What are they based on? Are they fair, realistic and achievable? What other factors could influence Anita’s performance, such as quality of line-management relationship, access to the right and timely information and resources, critical dependencies on other teams? The facts never speak for themselves. When have you experienced or enabled a paradigm shift, a radical re-framing, a surfaced personal-cultural assumption, that changed everything? How did you do it? What then became possible? Would you like help with thinking outside of the box? Get in touch! info@nick-wright.com
22 Comments
Stella Goddard BA (Hons) Registered MBACP (Accred)
20/2/2020 12:26:14 pm
Another interesting article Nick. I find myself focusing on the word 'facts.' Can we ever have all the facts or do we come to a conclusion based on such facts or 'facts' are available to us. Depends on many variables including where are we getting our 'facts' or facts from?
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Nick Wright
20/2/2020 12:28:37 pm
Thanks Stella. You reminded me of Kenneth Gergen's perspective on 'facts' (from a social constructionist perspective) in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AsKFFX9Ib0&t=199s
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Barbara A. Mellor
20/2/2020 01:51:48 pm
Terrific article...that’s a reason why, Truth is higher than Fact...yes?
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Nick Wright
20/2/2020 01:54:23 pm
Thanks Barbara. Truth vs fact. That reminds me of distinctions between data and information...although I think questions of 'truth' are far more complex!
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Barbara A. Mellor
20/2/2020 09:54:02 pm
Nick, oh yes...quite so...they are like statistics...they can be skewed by the observer ...yes?
Nick Wright
20/2/2020 09:56:21 pm
Hi Barbara. Indeed. On that theme, you may find this short related piece interesting? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/critical-reflexivity
Barbara A. Mellor
21/2/2020 04:09:56 pm
Nick another great article u nailed it.
Nick Wright
21/2/2020 04:10:36 pm
Thanks Barbara. 😊
Marie-José Hakens, Drs.
20/2/2020 02:20:07 pm
In my own life as well as with ‘my’ clients or teams, the perspective of ‘what if this is serving you?’ opens up to a more neutral and/or free view of what is being lived. Work- or personal (if people still make that distiction). So instead of ‘this project has obviousy failed’, which is an ‘ok’ view, the question of ‘how is this of service, what gifts might there be in these experiences’ is more growsome and freeing.
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Nick Wright
20/2/2020 02:27:38 pm
Hi Marie-José. That sounds like a great example of 'appreciative inquiry'.
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Sarah Glenn
20/2/2020 05:16:54 pm
Your blog is so true! How easy it is to judge people based on apparent ‘facts’. We cannot know every background situation or ask for it. We make our own judgements in the here-and-now based on the person’s behaviour, their statements, their performance...and our positive or negative assumptions are confirmed. Often, only those who act according to our own values in life get a chance. Jesus, help me not to judge people unfairly or one-sidedly, but to look at them and their actions from different perspectives.
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Nick Wright
20/2/2020 05:32:26 pm
Thanks, Sarah, for such an honest and personal response. Yes, it’s all to easy to jump to conclusions without even realising we are doing it, especially if we are feeling time-pressured or stressed. Pausing to check and test our own assumptions first can be very useful...but is not always easy!
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Lana Wildman
20/2/2020 10:59:50 pm
I'm learning how to push back on the "facts" and see what it might look like if something less obvious was the truth. It's good for not putting myself or others in a box, which is a helpful prerequisite for having compassion. It tends to take me off the party line and into authenticity.
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Nick Wright
20/2/2020 11:06:32 pm
Hi Lana. That’s an interesting relationship between truth, compassion and authenticity. Do you have an example from experience you could share here?
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Lana Wildman
22/2/2020 05:42:30 am
Mostly what I mean is trying to view other people's behavior with latitude for their stress or lack, and not jumping to conclusions. Not believing everything I hear on the news, not believing everything I hear myself say. When I drill down to understand where they're really coming from instead of face value, it's harder to be angry or resentful, easier to extend grace and reach to meet the real person. I can't recall any striking examples, I'm just trying to dial my whole life over toward truth and compassion.
Nick Wright
22/2/2020 12:48:24 pm
Hi Lana. That sounds to me like a healthy combination of curiosity and empathy. Truth and compassion are great values to live and work by. :)
Alex Hewlett
21/2/2020 03:21:31 pm
As a self-employed trainer my eye opener was realising that I need to ask "What do I NEED to do to make my business work?", rather than "What COULD I do?"; or "What do OTHER TRAINERS do in their business?"
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Nick Wright
21/2/2020 03:35:49 pm
Hi Alex. I would be intrigued to hear more about what difference shifting the question made for you. Do you have an example from practice you could share here?
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Ian Henderson
21/2/2020 04:14:26 pm
That's so true Nick. Hang on, does that make it a fact???
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Nick Wright
21/2/2020 04:33:38 pm
Thanks Ian. Now therein lies a deep question..! 😎
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Gwen Griffith
25/2/2020 02:23:04 pm
Nick-
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Nick Wright
25/2/2020 02:25:10 pm
Thanks Gwen. What a fascinating article! 😀 Some insights resonated well with a new book I’m reading today: Psychodynamic Coaching by Claudia Nagel (2020).
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Nick WrightI'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? Get in touch! Like what you read? Simply enter your email address below to receive regular blog updates!
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