Emotional Intelligence and "The Ladder of Inference"

I read about(and saw on PBS) how human beings are actually "Feeling machines that think" rather than "thinking machines that feel." This means that we cannot forget our emotions - it's impossible. We can be aware of them, and minimize their effects, but it's tough to ignore them - particularly when we encounter key moments.


I think that ALL companies - at least to some extent, should try to institutionalize Emotional Intelligence. I say "to some extent" because some people, just won't embrace it, no matter how much we coach it. One of the things that organizations struggle with is faulty assumptions. This normal behavior comes from invidual belief systems that cause distorted though processes. Peter Senge in the Fifth Discipline teaches a concept called "The Ladder of Inference" to try to diffuse this. The "Ladder of Inference" comes from a gentleman named Chris Argyris. It goes like this:

1.Data is observed
2.I chose the data points from what I observe
3.I add meanings based on my own belief systems
4.I make assumptions based on the meanings that I created
5.I draw conclusions based on the assumptions
6.I adopt or change my beliefs about the organization(and the world)
7.I act based on my beliefs
8.I apply these new beliefs in rung #3 above, when the situation/cycle starts over.

It's important that we look at all of the data.

It's important that we base decisions on facts, not our personal SPIN(in most situations)

Break the cycle and teach others to break the cycle!

Jarrod

You can't change what happens to you - but you can change how you respond to it.

I like talking about the topic of emotional intelligence.  It goes beyond the simple treatment of people.  To me, emotional intelligence is a important skill that managers (really all people) need in order to be truly successful.  It starts with being aware of our own emotional and behavioral shortcomings.  I was taught to conquer my "Key moments."  Meaning that when something occured, evoking a response from me, I had a choice regarding how to act. 

As managers and people, our decisions to act are based upon more than what's right and wrong, they are based on our own perceptions about life.  I'm sure that you all have heard of the term paradigms.  Normally, in a business context  the term concerns the beliefs of an organization as a whole.  But in an emotional intelligence context, paradigms are about how the individual views the world and as a result makes a decision.  It's about our individual constellations of core beliefs, and how they drive us to act. 

Not all of us have the same belief systems, and it's important that we realize that.   That is one spot where emotional intelligence is extremely important.  As managers we must listen, process and think, then speak or act.  We must be cautious about what we assume, and prevent letting our emotions and beliefs distort reality and "make things up" that don't exist.

Going slow, listening, thinking, and reversing roles are the keys to conquering those key moments.

90% of our life moments are driven by how we respond to events.  The events only set things into motion – our reactions change the world around us.

Most of these thoughts come to me from Steven Covey, and from Roger Allen, who taught me a course on emotional intelligence.  Good stuff!