Andy Griffith Wisdom

The Andy Griffith Solution – Getting a Good Read on the Issue at Hand

What is it going to take to compete in the 21^st Century?  The answer may be simpler than you think. 

If you read enough books and articles on decision-making, you will come to realize intelligence and experience are often trumped by human tendencies that date back to the dawn of time.  Add to that prejudices and preferences we have collected, particularly in our very formative days, or in a number of one-shot successes or failures.  It is no wonder we make so many bad choices in life when we seemingly should know better.

“We can only see what we have grown an eye to see”, says Rachel Remen.

Just in my post-World War II lifetime, we have seen many narrow-minded views about women and race.  When I was in college in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, a number of the most elite colleges and universities in the country finally admitted women and more than a token number of minority students.  Failing to harness talent in a majority of people in the entire country (women plus racial minorities) should give all of us pause about our ability to get it wrong, and sometimes to get it profoundly wrong.

We make poor decisions not because of what we know but because of what we think we know that is not so; not because of what we see, but because we think we see more than we do.

“Ninety percent of errors in thinking are due to errors in perception”, said Edward do Dobo.  This is why surveys abound, lawyers use mock juries to test run a case, and HR departments use 360 peer reviews of key employees.  The smart money is on those who recognize they may not see what others see, after all.

All of which is to say: It’s an art form to be able to see clearly something of real importance from another person’s point of view.

 

Andy Taylor, the iconic sheriff of Mayberry from the Andy Griffith Show, knew this art form well.  If a challenge arose, Sheriff Taylor would hit upon the solution at a key moment.  The solution deftly shifted the affirming spotlight to another and valued that other person’s point of view.  He saw more clearly than others the vulnerabilities in others, and he shored them up.  It was never about him.

When Sheriff Taylor did misstep, as he often did with his women friends, he was quicker than you and me to see it and admit it.  A rare skill, that.

Whether you are building a brand on the Internet, or at the courthouse, the success of that brand is going to be predicated on these core values:  trying to see things from another point of view; recognizing that you sometimes get it wrong; a willingness to admit your mistakes; and keeping your eyes less on what you think and more on what others think.

Which are various ways of describing solid relationships that engender TRUST.

What I’ve learned about life on the way to the courthouse is this:  If you want to succeed in life, learn to get a better sight line.  The better sight line will come from the other person’s point of view.  When others trust you to see past your concerns and you focus on their concerns, people are going to beat a path to your door and value what you do.