If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and swims like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
But that’s only because being a duck is a permanent condition: when you’re a duck, you’re a duck all the time.
The problem with extending that kind of inductive reasoning to non-permanent conditions, like being a liar, or a jerk, or an obstructionist is that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
When you listen to someone as if they were one of those things, that’s how they continue to show up to you.
Even when they’re not.
Al Pittampalli is a meeting culture warrior. He's on a mission to change the way organizations hold meetings, make decisions, and coordinate action.