“Almost” is easier than “Correct.” “Approximately” is quicker than “Exactly.” “Accurate” takes more effort and time. Yet, “Accurate” builds credibility, relationship, and trust. And if you have all of that, you’ll be included in what is really important in life.
In some ways, being accurate would seem to be the least taxing of all of our NEAT elements — Necessary, Effective, Accurate, and Timely. However, like most other essentials of personal relationship, accuracy — that which “is what it is” — gets sloppy in a fast-paced world that focuses on winning and changing others to our way of thinking.
Have you ever wondered, while watching the evening television news, how every pickup made by every automobile manufacturer can be the “#1 selling truck in America?” A logical person would conclude that can’t be possible. Somebody’s marketing spin must be inaccurate. But no one is really complaining. Why?
Because “accurate” has been made dependent on winning. Marketers spend inordinate amounts of money in search of the one thing they do better than anyone else. Then they market it to death. So, every pickup in America is the #1 seller in some particular niche. Political hopefuls pound on the things that make them seem superior and the policies that are winners for the voters. And we’ve been conditioned to accept pinpoint accuracy at the loss of overall accuracy and trust.
So, what can be done to restore accuracy and trust?
We must begin by reasserting our concern for accuracy. That begins with a number of “I” statements.
- “I don’t know.”
- “I’ll find out.”
- “I have personal, first-hand knowledge of this (beyond that, I do not know).”
- “I want you to know what I know.”
- “I want you to know what I do not know.”
- “I want to be transparent.”
- “I want to be fair.”
The difficulty with those “I” statements is the same one that got us into all the problems in the first place. Those open, context-neutral, curiosity-driven statements are not what we associate with winning. But they are the bedrock of personal accuracy.
Stop taking shortcuts with your communication. NEAT Communication requires significant investment. Be truly accurate. Create trust.
[shareable text=”If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. – Michael Jordan” width=”80%”]Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the effort, good things will be bestowed upon you. That’s truly about the game, and in some ways that’s about life too. — Michael Jordan[/shareable]