Narrative is a compression algorithm. Because the amount of information in reality is too large, the brain has to selectively attend, selectively remember, and selectively interpret.
Your narrative determines what you “see.” For example, at the same meeting, a founder sees strategic direction, an employee sees their own KPI, and an investor sees risk signals.
The problem is that most people don’t realize they are using a narrative. They think what they see is “facts” and “objective reality.” This leads to two consequences:
- Communication breaks down; 2. You can’t level up (because if you don’t know it’s a filter, you can’t switch filters).
Truly capable people have this ability: they meta-cognize their own narrative. They know what their current interpretive framework is, know where its blind spots are, and can switch it when necessary.