Watch for the zealot signal: I am never wrong.

observation — attributed to Dr. Wayne Pernell

Pernell's screening signal for whether productive engagement is possible is precise. Zealots tend to say I am never wrong, what I believe in is the only way. The signal means meaningful conversation is impossible because the party has closed the door to new information. Engaging with someone who indicates I could be wrong, I will listen to new information is operationally different. The filter matters because most coaches accept all comers and discover too late that one party was never going to update. Asking the question what are we here for at the start surfaces the answer. Parties willing to engage with the answer are workable. Parties unwilling are not, and the engagement should not start.

For executive coaches, mediators, and consultants screening engagements. The observation is most useful as a pre-engagement filter when the coach has been losing time on unworkable cases.

zealots, epistemic-closure, filter, engagement-criteria