Filtering data is the process by which we accumulate and shape the facts, making interpretations that align with our beliefs. Beliefs are not facts, however. Just like the ideas that drive our fears, beliefs are essentially conclusions we make after applying the filters we have developed over the course of our lifetime.
This filtering process is dynamic, like climbing a ladder: the ladder of inference (see image below). We apply filters to what is objectively observable—what could be seen by a video camera—and move rapidly from objective reality to the subjective “truth” of our own experience.
How? We do this by moving from the facts (bottom rung of the ladder), to the facts we choose to focus on, to the meaning we give those select facts, to making assumptions, drawing conclusions, and forming beliefs (close to the top rung of the ladder).
Through this process, by the time we arrive at the upper rungs of the ladder, we have created an understanding of reality that is fairly unique to us (essentially, a collection of our beliefs). Based on that understanding, we take action. It’s happening constantly, in some form, for all of us, all the time.
- The basic idea: we live in a world constructed of self-generated beliefs.
Once we’ve formed a belief about a particular subject, we unconsciously seek data that reinforces our convictions. This creates a feedback loop that further entrenches us in our beliefs. We are, in fact, built to do just that. (Nifty, right?)
The degree to which this negatively affects our ability to achieve results depends on our level of self-awareness with regard to this layered process of inference. When self-aware, we can manage ourselves well enough to see the ladder for what it is before taking action.
Without 
self-awareness, we risk limiting our frame of reference. When that happens, we sell ourselves on the incorrect — or at least incomplete — version of events. That, in turn, limits our resourcefulness, creativity, and presence in a shared reality.
Imagine if an entire organization of individuals were operating from the tops of their individual ladders of inference (e.g., from their beliefs instead of real data). Things could get pretty dysfunctional.
When we act on the belief that our view is the only viable view (and obvious to everyone else), we diminish our ability to influence and to lead. An effective leader instead commits themselves to seeing and understanding a broader view. A view that is in tune with what is likely to be more of a shared reality. Getting better at reality is something we’re working on here in the CCO.
“What the pupil must learn, if he learns anything at all, is that the world will do most of the work for you, provided you cooperate with it by identifying how it really works and aligning with those realities. If we do not let the world teach us, it teaches us a lesson.”
-Joseph Tussman