Page 92 - Fearless Leadership

The Need to Be Right 79

afterward with one of his direct reports.” All of this speculation
began with the interpretation of Fred’s “elevator behavior.”
6. You predict the future. The final step in the automatic
listening loop is predicting the future. We anticipate future
behavior to prepare and protect ourselves. For example:
“Fred’s not going to last long—he’ll be out of here by the end of
next month.” Once you’ve made a future prediction, the loop
is now complete, and you will continue to gather evidence.

The automatic listening loop described above is self-reinforcing and
closed. Regardless of what happens, you have developed a story and an
interpretation that locks in your point of view. You will be committed to
being right about your view and will defend it. To add strength to your
case, you will conspire with others, and you will cast doubt and suspicion
on an individual or group. Your automatic listening prevents you from see-
ing any other interpretation, and your freedom to invent the future is gone.

How Exceptions Prove the Rule
This raises a question: what happens when Fred’s behavior changes the
next day, and he enters the elevator and greets everyone with a smile and
a friendly “How are you?” Does the word spread that all bets are off and
everything is all right with Fred and the Board? No, an exception in the
automatic listening loop is not used to challenge the original assumption.
Instead, the exception proves the rule.
Let’s walk through what happens when Fred’s behavior changes from
frowning and grunting to smiling and chatting:

1. Contrary evidence is presented (something happens).
Fred gets into the elevator on the first floor. He smiles and says,
“How are you today?” and “How’s everything going in your
area?” He is friendly and talkative as he rides the elevator to
the sixteenth floor.
2. You have a reaction to the incongruent behavior. You are
disconcerted and uncomfortable. On one hand, it’s nice to
see Fred smiling. On the other, this makes you nervous
because Fred’s behavior is inconsistent with how he normally
behaves. The mind thinks, “He must be up to something.”