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May 26 - June 8, 2019
An objective observation is based on empirical or mathematical facts.
A subjective observation is based on assumptions, opinions, feelings, or values. The bruise is nasty is subjective; the bruise is round, approximately one inch in diameter, and purple is objective.
Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make—bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake—if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble. Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct, and you
can see at once how this can lead to terrible trouble.
We all make assumptions more often than we think, and like a snowball, even the smallest ones get bigger as they go downhill.
The earlier the assumption is made, the more dangerous it is because it skews subsequent observations. Accuracy in the first stages of the observation process is critical. If you’re the eyewitness or the first person
to get the news or the one filing the initial report, you have a heightened responsibility to be objective an...
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The phenomenon is so common it has its own idiom—“If it were a snake, it would have bitten you”—and has been facetiously referred to as “refrigerator blindness”
Instead he realized their problem-solving deficiencies came from their difficulty focusing on an extended task and attending to details, both necessities when solving multiple-step mathematical problems.
We often miss the unexpected because we’re too focused on what we think should be there.
Finally, since every person perceives the world differently, you might want to enlist help in your search.
Bring someone in to look with fresh eyes, preferably someone with a different perspective, background, and opinions from yours.
Someone else might see the answer to the problem that we articulated, and by seeking another set of eyes, we are proving that we are dedicated to the pursuit of a solution.
camouflage.
One thing at a time.
Break.
Realign your expectations. What am I expecting to find?
Ask someone else to look with you.
Educators believe that the students who best see the big picture—in both simple and complex systems—are visual learners.
To “paint a picture” of what we see, we must first realize that we are starting with a blank canvas. Only what we purposefully put on it will be “seen” by others. We must not leave it empty or incomplete; rather we must fill it with accurate, objective, descriptive facts using both broad strokes and fine details to record our observations.
Sometimes we’re so busy looking for the answer that we miss the information that can get us there.
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.
Comprehensive assessment and analysis require examining things from all angles.
Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change. Where we stand, figuratively and literally, when we view things can dramatically change the way we see them; therefore it’s critical that we approach data from every possible physical angle. Look
“Gemba is rarely found at an executive desk. Instead, you’ll find it on the shop floor. Or in the marketing department. Or at a customer’s place of business.”
Any activity that stimulates one part of the brain, such as physical movement, simultaneously stimulates other parts, such as creative problem solving.
“Experience gained through observation activates performance-enhancing neurons which accelerate learning and the capacity to learn,”
Objective analysis doesn’t end with what we can see. We also need to catalog and analyze what we can learn from all five senses to develop a full picture of what we’re observing; if we don’t, we’re leaving valuable information behind.
We’ve seen how getting a new vantage point physically helps accomplish this; now for even more insight, let’s put ourselves in someone else’s shoes more completely. Instead of just standing where they’re standing, let’s examine what the world might look like from behind their eyes.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
“The reality is that for business leaders to experience success, they need to not just see or hear the activity around them, but also relate to the people they serve.”
They were looking at the yearly campaign from their own point of view: as employees. Their sense of pride, however, doesn’t necessarily translate to anyone outside their organization.
What am I tuning out? What might I be taking for granted? What would someone else coming into my world not know?
Why is this important? Because our changing perspective can change our observations. If we interviewed Matisse and asked him what color the sea was in 1914, and he said, “Black,” it would not be a lie.
When something arouses our emotions, good or bad, the amygdala tells our eyes to pay closer attention, giving our hippocampus more to store. However, while emotional involvement heightens our confidence in our memories, it doesn’t necessarily enhance their objective accuracy.
The final definition of perspective is the ability to view things in relation to their true importance.
How was I supposed to know when that was? Who’s to say what’s appropriate? And therein lay the lesson: the situation and stimulus for action are different for everyone.
How we prioritize that information, however, whether consciously or not, will most directly affect our actions.
After my own experience behind a Glock, I will never again judge anyone for life-or-death decisions, but I cannot control whether I will be judged.
Everything from managing relationships to budgeting finances can quickly spin, or be spun, out of control. Having a clear understanding of our priorities ahead of time can help alleviate much of the damage.
Being able to rank information from most important to least is essential for business, education, parenting, job interviews, and even the SAT. Prioritization allows us to be more focused, more efficient, and more decisive.
To help organize data and find the most important elements of any situation, you ask three questions: What do I know? What don’t I know? If I could get more information, what do I need to know?
What do I know? What don’t I know? If I could get more information, what do I need to know?
pertinent negative.
Within and beyond the world of medicine, the absence of an object, event, or behavior can help identify or substantiate a situation.
When we are observing what we see, we must also note the important information we don’t see, especially if we’re expecting it to be there.
When we purposefully state the pertinent negative, we are more accurate.
Actively cataloging what’s
missing can also help us zero in on what we need.
The final question to ask in any situation: if I could get more information about this scene or situation, what specifically would I want to know?
