Labeling negatively a person is the sure way to kill his continuous improvement spirit
“You are lazy, you are stupid, you don’t get it, you are [insert negative adjective]”.
If the person starts to believe in your labeling, you are going to have a self-fulfilling prophecy.
This person will have beliefs that will restrain his thoughts.
Being locked up in a belief
- I am a conservative/liberal so I believe in x values and I do y.
- I am a vegetarian so I believe in x values and I do y.
- I don’t have a choice, I must act and think according to my beliefs.
Continuous improvement is having this capacity to see oneself and others from above and ask why:
- Why do I have these emotions?
- Why do I have these beliefs and ideas?
- Why I am acting this way?
Only then you can have a critical view of these thoughts.
When you disagree with the person, labeling the person as stupid does not solve the issue.
It stops your own ability to empathize and consider the other person’s view and challenge.
Labeling is a psychological bias
Labeling is a natural shortcut to distinguish the friends from the foes rapidly.
In nature, identifying fastly a danger can save your life. Is this person going to help me or going to steal my food?
In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman explains that we have two systems in our brain, System 1 which operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control, and System 2 which allocates attention to the effortful mental activities.
It is System 1 which generates the bias, and it is System 2 which has to think twice and double-check on the ideas generated by System 1.
Labeling a person is a psychological bias, you lock the person up unconsciously in a set of beliefs and behaviours. You expect him to behave and think according to the label you put on him.
Labeling is a natural mechanism one cannot control but one can use critical thinking with System 2 to reduce the influence of the labeling bias.
How to help others to get the continuous improvement spirit?
I don’t know how to help others to get the continuous improvement spirit, but what you can do to stop preventing them to improve.
1. Recognize your biases
Are you applying labeling biases to others? System 1 cannot stop it, but you can use effortful thinking with your System 2 to reduce the effect of labeling bias.
2. Ask questions so they become aware of their self-limiting beliefs
- Why do you think this way?
- Why did you make this choice?
- Why do you act this way?
3. Being patient
Don’t expect the person to change in one day.
Continuous improvement mindset is a habit, and like any other habit, it takes time to build it.
Check my book summaries on habit building and biases:
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
