Shadow Jumping
We all jumped when we heard the loud crashing sound at the other end of the office.
“What was that noise?”
Immediately, the stories flowed.
“It sounded like stuff falling off the shelf”
“Maybe something was dropped in the kitchen”
“It could have been all those boxes delivered today”
When we don’t know the answer, it’s natural to surmise one. In the absence of information, we will create stories and if our imaginations run wild, we can end up assuming the worst.
The office crashing noise we’d heard turned out to be a few books and a drink bottle falling from a desk. Nothing major, nothing broken, and nothing to worry about.
Across all elements of our workplaces, whether it be projects, team interactions, customer relations, and more, we often encounter situations where we lack information. Resisting the urge to fill in the gaps with our stories is important. Discerning what we do know, what might be possible, and what is likely, helps us to sieve the information we have available to tell a better story.
With clear thinking (and some deep breaths) we can navigate our way from not-knowing to knowing in any situation.
After all, who wants to add shadow jumping to their list of things to do!