Information from Yourself.
Introduction:
This includes memories, judgements that we make, as well as our thoughts, our feelings, our experiences, our values, our skills and attitudes, and our opinions.
Most people have far more wisdom and knowledge than they give themselves credit for. “You probably already know the answer,” I have found myself advising clients. “You just don’t know that you know it.”
The older and more experienced we are, the greater the likelihood that we already have most of what we need to deal with any thinking project.
Two challenges:
- To unearth the important knowledge and wisdom we have gained and carry around inside us.
- To factor out bias and emotions and render the information as objectively as we can, understanding that it is probably never going to be completely objective.
Used for
Identifying the attributes we currently have that can impact a thinking project. We are often not consciously aware of them.
Input/Output
We begin with a question – typically the out put of the step that preceded this.
We end with a vetted set of observations about knowledge, wisdom, skills, etc. that we already have. We can call them nuggets.
How to
Since this competency often deals with deeply personal issues, it is helpful to consciously record everything in writing. That tends to make the issues more objective and easier to manage.
The first step is to phrase the questions that uncover those internal factors for which the thinking project calls. These would be questions like: .
What do I know about that?
What am I good at?
What skills do I have?
Once we have the answers , we need to address the challenge of objectivity with some questions that challenge the answers from the previous set. This includes questions like:
Why do I think that?
How do I know that?
Is that really the answer?
How do know that to be true and accurate?
Is there any other factor impacting that for which I am not accounting?
So, for example, if we are contemplating a change of employment, we would ask ourself why the new job appealed to us and if we really saw ourself as being successful in the new job. This would cause us to be introspective and consider our values and experiences.
