Navigation

Location

KANSAS LEADERSHIP CENTER

325 East Douglas Avenue
Wichita, Kansas 67202
Tel: 316.712.4950

Explore Tough Interpretations

by | Dec 29, 2022 | KLC Framework

Leadership is about mobilizing people to make progress on tough challenges, and to do so we need to be able and willing to imagine that things aren’t perfect. (And at the same time, absolutely believe that things can and will get better!)

Every change effort starts with collecting information (aka diagnosing the situation). And in most cases, with just a few observations, we make an interpretation about what’s going on. Usually, our quick interpretation justifies a relatively simple response.

We constantly and often unconsciously go through these steps: Observe. Interpret. Act.

When we attempt to lead differently on our toughest challenges, we start by thinking about the problem differently. More observations generate more interpretations and more possible actions. Exploring tough interpretations means pushing past your first interpretations to generate others that point toward more difficult-to-execute steps.

One interpretation from one person won’t work when the challenge is adaptive. To solve our toughest problems, we need diverse points of view and multiple interpretations. It is an exercise of leadership to encourage others to bring more data and imagine more explanations for what’s happening. When you engage a group to consider multiple tough interpretations, you are inviting them to consider conflicting versions of the truth—not so they can act on each one but so they can choose which interpretations are worth exploring further.

If you find yourself resisting an interpretation because addressing it would involve loss and discomfort, you’re probably on to something. How we think about a problem determines how we try to solve it. Change or evolve our thinking and we might discover ways for more progress.

Search

Recent Posts

Kaye Monk-Morgan: Our Civic Mission at Work Today

Our Civic Mission at Work Today, in Kansas and Beyond In this video, Kansas Leadership Center President and CEO Kaye Monk-Morgan shares KLC’s aspirations for civic leadership and describes the many ways in which our mission is at work today, in Kansas and beyond.Read...

Nuevo estudio sobre el Liderazgo Latino en Kansas

Nuevo estudio sobre el Liderazgo Latino en Kansas Read this information in English. La población latina en Kansas creció un 25% del 2010 al 2020, lo que representa el 13% de la población o 375,000 personas. La aspiración del Kansas Leadership Center es servir a todos...

New Research Findings on Latino Leadership in Kansas

New Research on Latino Leadership in Kansas Lea esta información en español. The Latino population in Kansas grew by 25% from 2010-2020, accounting for 13% of the population or 375,000 people. The Kansas Leadership Center’s aspiration is to serve all Kansans through...

Your Title Goes Here

A new, one-day course from our latest book, When Everyone Leads

Your Title Goes Here

Our Latest Research on Kansas Latino Leadership Capacity

Your Title Goes Here

Uncover a Revolutionary Approach to Leadership with our Bestselling Book

Share This