How to form and hold opinions, and how to deal with ambiguity
Tip of the day!
To obtain knowledge, allow what you already know to sit in the background of your mind while relentlessly pursuing new ways of seeing the issue.
Recognize that your previous ideas, knowledge, and beliefs are not always contextually correct..
Theme of the day
Do you remember the theme and the accompanying questions of our previous blog? In any case, I invite you to play a game great business people play. It is the Game of Forming and Holding Opinions and Dealing with Ambiguity.
To be able to play this game correctly, such as great business people do, you have to understand the underlying rules to become a Truth Explorer. A teleworking class of Truth Explorers. Isn’t that nice?
Playing the Game of Forming and Holding Opinions and Dealing with Ambiguity is quite easy to play as long as you follow the two underlying rules of the game.
Rule #1
Be open and reflective for the opinions of others, e.g. your boss, manager, superior, colleagues, etc.
The first rule is about your tendency to reflect on many different viewpoints.
Rule #2
Be prepared and precise about your ideas and opinions;
The second rule is about your tendency to feel confident about your own opinions.
A Truth Explorer is someone who understands the rules of the game and plays the game as you have to play it by applying both rules. Such a gamer is:
Open and reflective for the opinions of someone else;
Prepared and certain about his opinions.
In a nutshell, Truth Explorers question everything and are steadfast in finding and following true principles.
By applying Boolean algebra on our ruleset, three other combinations are possible:
If you are much more open and reflective than certain, then you become inconclusive; Under stress, you may at times react dogmatically to protect yourself from people who have strong opinions.
If your tendency to be certain of your opinions is greater than your tendency to be open to different ideas and thus, you may often behave dogmatically. You may look for certainty or come to conclusions prematurely as a means of coping with confusion and uncertainty. In those circumstances, you may present greater certainty than you have about a subject. This behavior reflects your underlying confusion.
If you are neither open and reflective or certain, then others will experience you as an uncertain disinterested person.
All three lead straight to game-over.
Ask yourself
“Do you remember what you have agreed upon regarding mutual expectations?”
“Am I focused enough on what my manager and company expect from me today?”
“Am I well prepared to perform my tasks in a meaningful and secure way today?”
“What do I have to do to adjust myself to the ideas and opinions of others?”
“How can I express myself if I have to explain my ideas to someone else?”
“If someone else would listen carefully to my opinions, what does this person want to hear? And what else?”
My next two blogposts unravel the secrets behind Making Decisions and Managing Security Risks. Stay tuned!
Take care of yourself! Take care of each other!