This funny incident does provide us some insights into how quick we can be to make assumptions and establish opinions with little information. Our brains are programmed to be lazy and use our prior experiences to make quick easy decisions. It’s when we take our assumptions, withhold a quick decision and test those assumptions against more information or contrary information that we make better decisions. How often do we take a position on a matter that really if we simply looked at the other side of the coin, it’s not really a big deal.
We have so many choices in how we respond to each other. But it’s almost always a positive experience to explore new ideas a little further. You make an investment in both yourself and the person who cares enough to share an idea with you.
When we can laugh at ourselves, it makes us real and keeps us grounded and humble — as leaders and team members.
Have you ever been in a stressful situation when someone said something funny or pointed out some funny aspect of the situation? It immediately lowers the stress in the room, helps people think more clearly and certainly connects us as humans.
