Reality: Fact or Interpretation?

by: Louise LeBrun & Gwen McCauley

We live in a world that is hungry for fact; for information considered accurate and precise. We believe if we have this, we'll know. If we know, we'll be able to choose intelligently, predict the future and so, be in control.

What if we're wrong? What if what we call 'reality' is nothing more than interpretation driven by beliefs, values and attitudes that have become transparent to us; have for so long been part of the way we live that they escape our scrutiny? What if 'truth' is nothing more than the familiar expression of habit… things repeating themselves… without the benefit of ever stopping… and wondering… what if? Or, what else? Or, why not?

Perhaps 'what we know we know' is useful as a starting point; 'what we know we don't know', an invitation to discover; and 'what we don't know we don't know', our gateway to the future. Consider: how much of what you call 'reality' has actually become a roadblock to your own growth… the growth of your business… and who you've become as manager, as leader, and, perhaps most importantly, as a human being?

I used to work for a very large, well-run, paternalistic corporation. As a new manager, I got into trouble shortly after my arrival because I did not follow the rules… the ones unwritten and handed down through company myth. How many other things did I do because they were "the rule" and yet no rule could be found? How often did the company pay two or three times for things to be done because no one thought to check if this was habit or considered need?

What do you accept as "real" in your world that is nothing more than habit? What efficiencies, breakthroughs, and cosmic leaps in innovation are just around the corner, waiting only for your thinking to shift? Start by making a list of the fundamental assumptions in your life about what's "real". Begin asking "why is it this way?"; "what would happen if I did it differently (or not at all)?"; "if I can't see it any other way, who might I be able to talk to who could give me a different interpretation?" (think of the people who irritate you the most… and then, pay attention to their assumptions.); "if I can interpret this differently, what results can I then produce?"

William James said it well when he stated that "People can alter their lives by altering their attitudes".

This article was originally published in Australian Business Magazine, November 2001 issue. You may reproduce it in its entirety with appropriate acknowledgement of the authors.