"Surely no man would work so hard or attain such precise information unless he had some definite end in view . . . No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study In Scarlet
I began this week reading The Complete Sherlock Holmes, accumulated in one leather bound edition by Barnes and Noble. In the early chapters, Doyle takes us through the early meeting and ultimate status of 'roommates' of Dr. Watson and Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
As Sir Doyle exposes the thinking of Dr. Watson upon his study of one Sherlock Holmes' habits and formidable knowledge, the reader sees Mr. Holmes more deeply and differently than you might expect. Holmes seems to know an incredible amount about things he sees through his significant powers of observation, reasoning and deduction. Yet he seems unaware of any basic knowledge regarding the arrangement of the solar system, responding to Watson's with:
"What the deuce is it to me? You say that we go around the sun. If we went around the moon it would not make a pennysworth of difference to me or to my work." (my emphasis)
Lesson For Us - What about the new guy/gal?
When I first read this brief section of the very first story, I wondered about how we process information when we first meet someone. What we notice about them. What seems peculiar or odd to us and what we do with that information. Maybe more importantly what we edit out or miss because of our biases or history.
Dr. Watson is simply dumbfounded that any person could be so well developed in areas such as chemistry, fine literature, music, law and boxing (?) and not know that the earth we inhabit flits around the sun. Do you ever assume someone ought to know something that they don't? What happens when you find out they do not? Do they drop a peg? Do you feel superior in some way? Oh, we may not do it consciously but almost can't help wondering how someone could get so far in life without knowing X or Y.
More Than The Eye Can See
As Dr. Watson experiences more of his new roomy, he learns that Mr. Holmes' abilities and skills in his area of specialty - solving crimes - are so profound that people seek him out for it. All kinds of people. He attracts people that are very different from one another and helps them solve their problem. You see, there is far more to Mr. Holmes than meets the eye, and that is true of the people that cross our paths too.
See. Think. Act.
I believe the experiences of Dr. Watson with his new famous (to us) friend provide some guidance into our little world and how we might do better at valuing people more highly.
1. See The Whole Person. When we meet someone new we are immediately struck by how they look, how they speak and what they speak about. A whole series of unconscious judgments take place and we decide - often poorly I think - about the person and whether we like them or will invest time with them. Take the time to see more than first impressions. Malcolm Gladwell's Blink! presents a number of arguments suggesting we know very much with just a glance, but he also points out that there are significant errors in that judgement at times.
2. Think Them Through.
I called attention a moment ago to the unconscious processing of information and the judgements we make based on limited data. Thinking, as I consider it, is a conscious process and the one I think should be used where people are involved. A thinking person would want more information before placing too much power or too little faith in a person. Now, go back and re-read Watson's thought at the very beginning of this post - I'll wait. What's he doing? He is thinking about his new acquaintance and, it appears, assuming that all this learning and knowledge about such small things must come to some good. He assumes that it must have a purpose and a value, even if Watson can't see it at that moment. He assumes that his new friend is good - a great place to start.
3. Act Interested.
Now I don't mean by this that we ought to mislead someone into thinking we care about them when we really don't. What I mean is that in order to learn more about a person and what makes them tick, what makes them unique and valuable, we must act like an interested person. What would an interested person do? Set up coffee? Lunch? A brief office drop by, perhaps?. An interested person would orchestrate situations in which they could learn more about the subject of their interest. I have found, to my shame and loss, that I have misjudged a person because I was simply not interested enough to learn more about them. Don't make this mistake. Act.
Today's a Great Day To Learn More About Harriet, Joe or Frank
Just three pages later in this very first story, Dr. Watson confides, in his own thoughts, "My respect for his (Holmes') powers of analysis increased wondrously." That last word catches me, did it you? "Wondrously." It suggests that someone objectively viewing a change in Watson's respect for Holmes would be awed or spellbound by Watson's new view given where he began. Wouldn't that be cool to do with more people?
I am only on page 13 of this 1077 page collection and Dr. Watson has already gone from wondering about the sanity of this person to amazement at this abilities and intellectual prowess.
Who in your life are you stuck on page 11 with? What might it be like at page 1077? Why don't you begin finding out today!!
