Greetings from Tucson, Arizona!
I’m spending a couple of weeks there, enjoying the pure bliss of what the desert life offers in December.
Whenever I talk about going to Tucson, I usually get one of two reactions.
It’s either: “Lucky you! That unique blend of vibrant Mexican-American cultural diversity must have attracted you. You’re going to the first North American city designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Enjoy your chimichanga (a deep-fried burrito accidentally invented in Tucson)”!
Or: “Good for you! I bet you’re going there to enjoy the stunning desert landscapes and great outdoor experiences”. What a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Be sure to check the dozens of trails close to the city”.
Who’s right or wrong on what truly drew me to Tucson this year?
Like the well-known “6 vs. 9” meme, perspective matters, and both views might be right.
But this simple example illustrates what leaders face daily at work: the high prevalence of narrow-minded thought processes that quickly lead to binary thinking.
None of us has the time to analyze everything deeply, so we’re fast to build shortcuts and mental models based on assumptions.
I get it. It’s “human nature”.
Once we have facts we can anchor to, we build our working hypothesis, and it soon becomes our belief because we have lost interest in pursuing the matter further.
Back to my Tucson example, each reaction carries some degree of truth. But both could be wrong, too. After all, these are just assumptions.
What if other reasons drew me to Tucson this December?
An independent thinker would dig further, trying to tease out events that might only happen rarely but should be allowed for.
She would know how to ask open-ended yet probing questions like: “What would need to happen for our usual assumptions to be wrong“?
It wouldn’t take long before she realized my rapport with Tucson wasn’t part of a binary scheme.
A different set of reasons initially drew me to Tucson: the Holualoa Tucson Marathon!
The event started in 1969 with a net downhill course along the foothills of the Santa Catalina mountains. It’s a BQ. In other words, you can qualify for the Boston Marathon if you run Tucson under a specific time based on your age group.
The BQ was the primary reason for my first visit to Tucson. Then, year after year, I returned because I also fell in love with this desert city, its winter weather, stunning natural beauty, and rich culture.
The next time you see that “6 vs. 9” meme or that colleagues at the office are trying to entrap you into some binary thinking remember there’s always some alternative.
It requires some more work and an investigative mind. But with a few solid questions, you’ll build a more accurate view of any situation.
So, don’t settle; be that independent thinker and keep inquiring!