Humans, observed one of my favorite teachers, are “meaning making machines.” When presented with uncertainty, we make up stories to explain what’s happening. Facts or the lack of them don’t much matter. We do this thousands of times a day, driven to make sense of the world and to have some basis for taking action. Chris Argyris proposed the “Ladder of Inference” model to explain this mental process: we observe, select information, assign meaning to it, make assumptions, draw conclusions, adopt beliefs, and act on what we think we know. 

It’s a useful process, except when we make meaning about situations and other people based on our experiences, biases, cultural norms, beliefs, values, etc. Worse, we believe the stories we make up are TRUE. Then, going a step further, we reinforce those made-up beliefs, using our stories as screens to select the information that gets our attention. This is a circular, self-reinforcing process – the source of many judgments, misunderstandings, misperceptions, and conflicts.

How many of us have delivered something to a client, received no response, and filled the vacuum with a scenario of catastrophe? Perhaps we have convinced ourselves that a boss, peer or subordinate is treating us in a certain way because [make up story here.] When we are unaware of our mind’s storytelling, it can take us hostage. But gaining awareness of our capabilities as “meaning making machines” makes it possible to step off the “inference ladder.” We can pause to see other perspectives, ask different questions, and draw new conclusions. Refreshed perspectives are invaluable; they create space for new ways of thinking, acting, collaborating, and leading.