Experiments Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Humane Leadership Institute

Posted on March 31, 2017November 28, 2023 by Stephen — 1 Comment

Conceptual Frameworks and Mental Models: An Introduction

It seems that every sight, sound and idea we experience is processed through a conceptual framework in our mind.

As you read this, the shape, colors, and contrasting black squiggles on white are being converted, via frameworks you and I share, into images, words, sentences, and connected ideas in your mind.

Imagine how confusing life would be if we had to categorize, name and evaluate the ideas of the letter S, smartphone, windows, tree, and sunlight afresh every time we encountered them? It is no wonder to me that babies are awake so little when they are first born, free of frameworks; all that uncategorized input to process!

Posted on February 2, 2017August 12, 2023 by Stephen — Leave a comment

Failure as the Death of the Illusion of Control

You’ve seen the t-shirt, “Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving your body.” Maybe the pain of failure is the feeling of being relieved of our illusions. But, where’s the gain in this pain?

The next time I find myself brooding over my failures, I will ask myself:

What failed exactly?
What assumptions was I making about the nature of the elements, the mechanisms and the processes I was working with?
Did I think I could control the outcomes based on that understanding?
What might I learn from the death of any illusions built into my assumptions?