Why the Meeting Before the Meeting Helps People Assume Positive Intent

Humans are hardwired for negativity! Kind Leaders deliberately introduce practices to help people overcome that negativity bias and "assume positive intent" instead!

Never underestimate the importance of “the meeting before the meeting”! 

Why? 

Because as human beings we all come hard-wired for negativity bias. That means we automatically ASSUME negative intent! That whatever it is ISN’T a good ideas; that we DON’T want to do it; that it WON’T work. 

But negativity bias doesn’t last long. It fades as people’s logical thinking kicks in and they reflect on what was presented to them. 

The “meeting before the meeting” (even if it’s one on one conversations with others and not a whole meeting) gives people a way to get past the automatic response of negativity bias. 

So, if you engage people by having a “meeting before the meeting” and present your idea, let them ask questions, get out their “negative first impressions” (as I call negativity bias) and remember that they aren’t “resisting” but simply being human…it is a lot easier to get yourself and others to the stage of “assuming positive intent” and to get to “YES” on what you are working on! 

Kind Leaders know that "assuming positive intent" takes practice and a little understanding of how humans work!