Making Judgments


Making Judgments

Your positive and negative emotions come from judgments you make of the object-level world. For example, assume that you are at your desk going about your business when you receive a message from a colleague with whom you frequently experience tension. You detect in the message, just in the way it is worded, that the person is once again getting snarky. Perhaps it is a certain subtle jab that really pushes your buttons . The message says, ˜˜I am concerned about various alignment issues that might arise between your departments implementation of its new policies versus what has been set out in the senior management teams recent directive.

Of course, somebody else might not detect any problem with the words that have been chosen . They tell you, ˜˜Lighten up. He means just what he says. But you believe there is a game being played all the same. You say to your friend, ˜˜I dont think so. This guy has an ego the size of a house. For heavens sake, look at how he positions himselfits like hes the watchdog for the executive team! Who does he think he is?

You find yourself offended. You see the object-level words but you reach a lot of meta-level opinions . It happens to everybody. You move from the facts to the judgment. ˜˜This guy is a real doofus, you think. Your emotions are firing. The meta-level has done its deed.

Examples abound. The news gets out that a competitor is laying off employees and suddenly your organization is filled with fear. Newspapers report the breakout of an infectious disease in a city, and suddenly all people flying in from that city are suspect. A photocopier breaks down three days in a row, and you find yourself being wary of everything that its manufacturer produces. When a junior colleague who has made two mistakes in one week shows up late on the following Monday, you shake your head and think, ˜˜I may have a problem here.

If you want to manage your emotional tendencies, you will need to manage your meta-level thinking. The tendencies to worry, control, fake it, seek attention, attribute blame, and get all wound up in the past are all the results of emotionally driven, meta-level-created judgments.




Face It. Recognizing and Conquering The Hidden Fear That Drives All Conflict At Work
Face It. Recognizing and Conquering The Hidden Fear That Drives All Conflict At Work
ISBN: 814408354
EAN: N/A
Year: 2002
Pages: 134

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