One Situation. Many Opinions.

Two or more people can see the exact same situation and arrive at drastically different opinions. Rarely is it because one group is right and one group is wrong, though many prefer to believe that and level judgments towards the apparent opposition.

People have different experiences, and therefore opinions, from the same situation for a few core reasons. Here are some of the most common.

• We have access to different information.
• We observe and ignore different elements of the available information.
• We interpret available information differently.
• We value different things in the information.
• We arrive at different conclusions and expectations from the information.

Not only is it in your best interest to be disciplined in how you process information and reach conclusions, but it is also in your best interest to be disciplined in understanding how others process information and reach their conclusions.

You can’t guarantee agreement. You can work hard to achieve an honest and fair understanding.

Answer the call. Do the work.