James King

Have you ever had a day where you realised your mouth was moving faster than the evidence you base your informed opinions on?

Today I told someone we need to improve how we do showcases to engage our stakeholders. Then I went to a near perfect showcase and though “yep that is what I am saying we should do.”

Then someone asked if we had shared a problem they were facing and asked if we had a known solution to it. I said no, but helpfully added that that we had some things we had tried. Then I remembered seeing a draft of a solution.

Someone had sent it to me a month ago. They asked me to review it and I said it was great. So sharing that seems like a better idea than vaguely suggesting we have some ideas.

I guess it is good to be humble and admit when you are wrong. It is also good to think on your feet and respond to things quickly.

But I was just reflecting on something my mother said to me quite a few years ago.

She said something like

When talking the process should be listen-then-think-then-talk and not talk-then think.

Or something like that, I wasn’t really listening very carefully at the time.

But now I wonder if my mother was right all those years ago. Do you think there is anything to the idea that we should seek evidence before forming and sharing opinions? It sounds like an idea that could have some merit.