2. 23
✓ Improve
communica?on
✓ Reach
agreement
or
advance
resolu?on
✓ Arrive
at
new
possibili?es
✓ Learn
from
another’s
perspec?ve
✓ Allow
for
mul?ple
voices
✓ Understand
resistance
to
change
✓ Surface
outdated
assump?ons
✓ Understand
the
logic
behind
recommenda?ons
Why
the
Ladder?
ü Facilitate
conflict
solu?ons
ü Improve
team
interac?on
ü Open
for
diverse
opinions
ü Prevent
overreac?on
ü Understand
your
immediate
response
to
a
situa?on
ü Uncover
own
&
other
biases
ü Unearth
reasoning
&
origin
of
your
assump?ons
ü Surface
and
test
your
thinking
before
you
discuss
a
topic
3.
Consider
and
Remember
Two
or
more
ladders
in
any
conversa?on
3
✦
Unconscious
&
Automa.c
✦
Auto
Pilot
✦
Mental
Models
✦
Different
Interpreta.ons
✦
Jargon
&
Acronyms
✦
Emo.onally
Charged
Triggers
4. Make
the
Ladder
Work
Observe
from
a
pool
of
all
available
Data
Screen
Data
Take
Ac?on
Select
Filtered
Data
Add
Meaning
Make
Assump?ons,
Draw
Conclusions
&
Adopt
Beliefs
4
5. 5
Intui?on
and
Experience
Count
✦ Trust
flashes
of
insight
✦ Rely
on
lessons
learned
✦ Have
knowledge
&
know-‐how
✦ Been
around
the
block
a
few
.mes
In
addi.on
to
walking
down
the
ladder
23
6. Context
MaVers
Content
=
Actual
words
or
behavior
Context
=
Background
for
content
Contextual
clues
needed
for
shared
meanings
✦
The
framework
✦
The
environment
✦
The
seLng
✦
Like
the
canvas
for
a
pain.ng
Consider
the
villagers
response
when
the
boy
cried
wolf!
6
7. Making
the
Ladder
Work
for
Us
Awareness
Our
natural
tendency
&
comfort
with
default
approach
✦ Self
✦ Others
✦ Situa.on
Advocacy
–
clarifies
my
Ladder
Inquiry
–
explores
your
Ladder
7
8. 8
Default
Posi?on
-‐
Advocacy
or
Inquiry
Natural
Tendency
=
Promote
or
Ques.on
More
Comfortable
Either
Or
Both
Can
LEARN
to
be
more
Adept
9. Advocacy
9
✦ Reveals
your
thinking
✦ Describes
the
data
you’re
operating
from
✦ States
your
assumptions
✦ Inquires
into
other
people’s
reactions
to
your
point
of
view
✦ Encourages
others
to
provide
different
perspectives
or
question
yours
✦ Helps
you
listen
with
an
open
mind
Purpose
of
Advocacy
10. Inquiry
10
✦ Expands
current
understanding
✦ Explores
how
another
person
views
the
world
✦ Advances
genuine
curiosity
✦ Encourages
openness
to
another’s
perspective
✦ Promotes
Inquiry
not
Inquisition
Purpose
of
Inquiry
11. Climb
UP
Advoca?ng
Reveal
your
thinking
and
how
you
arrived
at
your
conclusion
Move
up
one
rung
at
a
.me
allowing
others
to
follow
your
thought
process
11
12. Ques?ons
to
ask
when
Advoca?ng
“What
quesAons
do
you
sAll
have?”
“Does
it
make
sense
to
you?”
“What
am
I
missing?”
12
15. Ques?ons
to
ask
when
Inquiring
“What
do
you
mean
when
you
say…?”
“Is
there
a
different
word
or
phrase
that
would
help
clarify
your
meaning?”
15
16. Inquiry
Challenge
&
RISK
Difficult
to
listen
and
not
defend
Culture
usually
rewards
having
answers
16
17. Balancing
Advocacy
&
Inquiry
✦ Listening
diminishes
✦ Knowledge
not
shared
only
or
over
Advocate
only
or
over
Inquire
17
18. Dysfunc?onal
Use
of
the
Ladder
Intent
to
understand
is
the
cri?cal
condi?on
18
19. 19
Trust
-‐
Respect
-‐
Civility
✦ Trust
–
depend
on
&
believe
in
you
&
me
✦ Respect
–
value
I
have
for
myself
&
you
✦ Civility
–
beyond
courtesy
&
politeness
Create
and
sustain
a
genuinely
safe
space
to
allow
for
risk,
vulnerability,
shared
meaning,
and
breakthrough
thinking
“Trust
is
the
acAon
side
of
respect
–
show
your
respect
by
trusAng.
Caela
Farren
21. 21
Recap
Ladder
of
Inference
✦ All
rungs
take
place
in
your
head
✦ Is
unconscious
process
✦ Trip
up
the
ladder
is
rapid
✦ Seems
reasonable
✦ OXen
leads
to
misguided
beliefs
✦ Reflexive
loop
affects
the
data
you
select
next
.me
Awareness
&
Reflec?on
✓ Surface
your
own
thinking
✓ Capture
it
and
consider
it
✓ Think
about
your
Thinking
Advocacy
✓ Make
your
thinking
and
reasoning
visible
to
others
✓ Communicate
your
perspec.ve
Inquiry
✓ Listen
with
intent
to
learn
✓ Use
unaggressive
language
to
ques.on
and
learn
✓ Ask
self
and
others
WHY
22. 22
For
More
Informa?on
OPTIMIZE
Central
sylvia@gaffney.com
www.gaffney.com
Presented
by
Sylvia
Gaffney,
Ph.D.
Sylvia
provides
custom-‐designed
consul.ng
services
in
organiza.onal
effec.veness
and
change
managements
assistance
to
companies
on
a
na.onal
and
interna.onal
basis.
Her
work
helps
companies
integrate
their
business
planning
through
a
systems
perspec.ve.
She
facilitates
processes
to
improve
team
building
and
blending,
leadership
development,
intergenera.onal
challenges,
cultural
change
issues,
resilience,
strategic
reten.on,
and
strategic
staffing.
Sylvia
owns
and
operates
Gaffney
Corporate
Strategies
and
Op<mize
Central.
