Over the past couple of years, I have interacted with many who talk about the law of attraction.  I am not a fan of the law of attraction, especially not in its extreme cases.  Instead, I believe in the law of observation.  Okay, so it isn’t a law.  I just used the term to describe an obvious situation that occurs in consulting all the time. 

Let’s talk about the law of attraction, the law of observation, and what it means for us as business people.

Law of Attraction 

Some talk about a law of attraction.  With law of attraction, some think that one is actually attracting the thing involved.  In extreme cases, the people may actually believe that accidents occur because people are subconsciously thinking about them. 

Perhaps people can get so caught up in thinking about such issues that they cause the situation to arise, in some cases.  For example, if I am concerned about being careful that I don’t fall, maybe, my caution causes me to think about lifting my foot, rather than allowing it to come up naturally.   Still, I cannot imagine people attracting illness or injury to them.

Law of Observation

What makes more sense to me is what I call the law of observation.  It is a lot simpler.  All it says is that one is more likely to see what one is expecting to find or what is so far removed from the realm of possibilities that it grabs our attention.  This means two things.

First, if I expect to see difficulties ahead, I usually see difficulties ahead.  If I expect to see smooth sailing ahead, I usually perceive the future to be smooth sailing.  This result can occur, regardless of the facts. 

A key factor is how one chooses to view the situation.  Is the glass half full?  Or is it  half empty?  The fact is that half of the glass is half full and the other half is half empty.  Which part is the person focusing on though?

Often, people seem to miss obvious approaches and solutions.  Typically, this occurs when people have a clear focus and are concentrating so hard on what they are seeking that they lose sight of other possibilities. 

Second, the law of observation also means that, if something far removed from the realm of possibilities occurs, it is noticed.  In this situation, people do not necessarily react favorably.  They are surprised and remember what this blog has said about surprising people?  Here is an example.

Implications

It seems to me that the law of observation tells us to take a step back and reconsider the situation from time to time.  Rather than developing tunnel vision, think about other possibilities. 

At times, we may be caught up in the details of the project.  Four steps come to mind that can help us prevent and deal with the issues.  These steps are:

1. Developing a written plan for evaluating progress, complete with checkpoints.
2. Following the plans that are written out consistently so that one is not tempted to skip the evaluation.
3. Having someone remind us to do the evaluation.  This person is essentially a santity check, as a friend used to say.
4. Make a presentation to the clients about the status at that point.

What is your experience in this area?  Do you believe in law of attraction, law of observation, or some other law?  How do you use your beliefs to be a better business person?

Filed by Coleen Davis at 2:48 am under Planning Tips, Solving Problems, Training