NPR recently broadcast a story about how people across the country are reacting to the growing economic problems we face. One expert talked about a recent survey. He made a comment that interested me. I don’t recall the exact figures (they aren’t actually that critical for this post), but the comment went something like this:

The survey said that 15% of Americans are already feeling the impact and 60% expect to feel it within the year. What this means is that most Americans expect to feel this at some point during the year. (emphasis added)

That’s not what it means, that’s what it says. It could mean that people do not have confidence in the government’s “bail-out” plan to restore the economy. Or, it could mean that we are at risk of a self-fullfiing prophecy. People think that they are going feel an impact from the economic downturn and therefore might begin to take actions like reducing spending and borrowing, putting off purchases. This puts a strain on businesses who then might have to have lay-offs or salary freezes hurting people’s spending power.

These are just examples. I have no idea what it really means. My point isn’t about the economy. It’s about what we pass off as meaning and how we can take it up a notch. Think about the two meaning statements I proposed. Wouldn’t they generate better discussion, understanding, and decision making than the simple restatement of data? That’s the point. Anyone can restate data. It takes someone with context, perspective, and experience to create meaning from it. That’s what leaders do.