Page 146 - Make Work Great

Growing Your Crystal

Connected to the information is the situation, which is the sur-
rounding context. Is the information being presented by a neutral
third party or by someone who has a personal interest in your reach-
ing a certain conclusion? Is there a historical context? Are there any
other surrounding facts? The social context—who is in the room
at the time, your role, and the roles of the others—is also impor-
tant. Who is there, and how much interest do they have in soliciting
specifi c responses from others who are present? Revenue summaries
made publicly to shareholders by CEOs contain the same facts and
fi gures as those made privately to CEOs by CFOs. They do not neces-
sarily impart the same message.
Now look at the right end of the model and consider your deepest
beliefs. In the fi gure, they are represented by your brain, though if it
were possible to produce a drawing of your hidden thoughts and val-
ues, that would be more appropriate. Your beliefs are the most diffi cult
component for anyone, yourself included, to perceive. They include
assumptions about things like survival, community, and what you see
as important. Often they are unexplored and unquestioned. A strong
unspoken belief in the longevity of your company, for example, will
mitigate your perception of the seriousness of a slow economic year,
while a deep-seated concern about the company’s direction will have
the opposite effect. Questions of philosophy also come into play here.
Do you consider your company’s primary role to be the production of
products or shareholder value?

Your approach flows from your beliefs. How you handle your job,
your environment, and your surroundings is more observable than
what you believe. If you’re a detail-oriented person, you may focus on
one part of the information presented; if you’re a big-picture thinker,
you may take it as an overview. If you equate money with security, you
may focus your attention on the net revenue or reserves; if you equate
productivity with security, you’ll probably focus more heavily on out-
put indicators.
Your interpretation is at the meeting point between what is “out
there” and what is inside you. It is yours alone; in it, you bring to bear

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