I woke up to read about “Inversion Method” of problem solving. My innate theme of ‘harmony’ motivates me to look for wisdom in the area of ‘problem solving’ to work for peace, growth and continuous development. As I was reading, the role of ‘Doubting Thomas’ came to mind. And that led me to my OCD of introspection and understanding why on occasions my well meaning and well intentioned behaviour is misinterpreted, and how can I improve. Let me explain.
The ‘inversion method’ (also called "thinking backwards" or "reverse thinking") involves approaching a problem by focusing on what you want to avoid rather than what you want to achieve. Instead of asking "How do I solve this?", you ask "What would ensure I fail?" Then you work to prevent those failure scenarios.
A "Doubting Thomas" is a role in a team formed for problem solving. The one performing that role is seen as skeptical and one who refuses to believe something without direct personal experience. The term comes from the Bible's Gospel of John, which describes the Apostle Thomas's refusal to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he could see and feel the wounds from Jesus' crucifixion.
Over these years I have realized that more often than not I have created a negative impression in the minds of colleagues and family members, despite my well meaning intentions. This is not true for all in my circle of influence, but certainly there are some, may be a minority, who carry negative impression about me. And I must critically evaluate my behaviour and try to improve.
My observations and understanding of impressions I have perhaps created, in different situations, led me to summarize situation wise my intentions and their interpretentions resulting into impressions I may have led some to carry.
1. Detail-Oriented Focus
Intent:
- Trying to ensure quality and completeness
- Wanting to understand all aspects thoroughly
- Aiming for excellence
Interpreted as:
- Being overly critical
- Lacking trust in others' work
- Creating unnecessary delays
- Being a perfectionist in a negative way
2. Experience-Based Caution
Intent:
- Sharing lessons from past experiences
- Trying to prevent repeated mistakes
- Protecting the team/project
Interpreted as:
- Being stuck in the past
- Resistant to change
- Overly negative or pessimistic
- Not giving new ideas a chance
3. Request for Documentation
Intent:
- Ensuring clarity and alignment
- Creating useful reference materials
- Supporting knowledge sharing
Interpreted as:
- Lack of trust
- Creating bureaucracy
- Being inflexible
- Making simple things complex
4. Asking Multiple Questions
Intent:
- Ensuring comprehensive understanding
- Showing interest and engagement
- Helping identify potential issues
Interpreted as:
- Undermining authority
- Being confrontational
- Showing distrust
5. Process Adherence
Intent:
- Maintaining quality standards
- Ensuring fairness
- Following best practices
Interpreted as:
- Being bureaucratic
- Lacking flexibility
- Slowing progress
- Being difficult
6. Risk Assessment
Intent:
- Protecting project/team success
- Being thorough and prepared
- Responsible planning
Interpreted as:
- Being negative
- Focusing only on problems
- Lacking confidence
- Fear-mongering
7. Seeking Clarification
Intent:
- Ensuring accurate understanding
- Avoiding misinterpretation
- Being thorough
Interpreted as:
- Not paying attention
- Questioning others' communication
- Being slow to understand
- Creating unnecessary discussion
I am advised that better approach in each of the above situation, to achieve desired objective, could be as under:
Detail-Oriented Focus
- Explain your detail focus upfront: "I like to understand details to help us succeed"
- Prioritize which details matter most
- Balance detail questions with forward momentum
Experience-Based Caution
- Frame past experiences as learning opportunities
- Acknowledge that current situation might be different
- Offer solutions along with concerns
Request for Documentation
- Explain the value of documentation upfront
- Keep requests proportional to project size
- Focus on essential documentation only
Asking Multiple Questions
- Group related questions together
- Preface with reason for questions
- Space questions across discussions
- Balance questions with acknowledgments
Process Adherence
- Explain the value of specific processes
- Be open to process improvements
- Know when to make exceptions
- Focus on outcomes over strict adherence
Risk Assessment
- Balance risk discussion with opportunities
- Present solutions alongside risks
- Use data and examples
- Frame as preparation, not prediction
Seeking Clarification
- Summarize understanding before asking
- Be specific about what needs clarification
- Offer your interpretation for verification
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