Avoid entrenched perspectives by looking through 9 Lenses
We are conditioned to see what we expect or are primed to see, not what is really there. This is fast and efficient if our world is stable and predictable – where the past is a good predictor of the future. But what if it is not completely stable and predictable? What if our expectations and experience are only partially useful? Our expectations and experience are often deep within our subconscious mind. It is difficult to quieten them even if we consciously realise they may be inadequate or misleading in a given situation.
How then do we see things as they really are, not as our subconscious would like or expects them to be? One of the most effective things we can do is develop the ability to step through a variety of perspectives of the situation. In doing so we use our conscious brain to counter or supplement our subconscious expectations and biases.
In general, we need to adopt perspectives that allow us to be more empirical. That is, we need to focus on more extensive observation and data gathering before drawing conclusions. In most cases, we also need to recognize that our conclusions are only tentative and will require further testing and validation. We need to be open to revising, or even discarding, a tentative conclusion as we make more observations, collect further data or develop further insights.
Observing a situation through each of the following 9 Lenses forces us to challenge our entrenched perspectives and expectations. Although all 9 lenses will not always be relevant, each lens should at least be assessed in a given situation.
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