You Need to Stop Jumping to Conclusions... Oh Me Too. Here are 5 Tips.

Why do we jump to conclusions?

• Many times it requires no personal change...perfect.
• "It is what I know from my past" 
• It is a convenient answer that quickly explains away a problem. 
• In most cases it is also easier than taking time to understand the details and facts.

What drives this behavior?
Jumping to conclusions seemingly avoids or prevents the appearance of ignorance, and can squelch the emotional reactions of others."Don't get worked up, I already know what's wrong here and am working on it."
What can you do to stop yourself from jumping to conclusions?

1. Take time to listen and understand.
2. Collect and analyze the facts from multiple sources.
3. Set a goal to try and prove yourself wrong instead of working so hard to prove to others that you are right; especially, if you have a preconceived notion.
4. True analysis of all of the facts is key. If they are indeed facts and not assumptions then, by definition, they all have to support your conclusion. If they do not, then you are missing some detail or your assumptions might be in the way of the truth.
5. Use root cause analysis tools to help in viewing the facts and their relationships. Some of the Transitional RCA tools can be found here.

In the end, if you take time required and practice the restraint required not to jump to conclusions and really understand the situation you will not find yourself trying to defend a conclusion that you should never have leaped to to start with.

Lets go solve the world's problem one fact at a time!