The Most Generous Interpretation (MGI)
Ask 'what's the most generous interpretation of why they did that?' to turn judgment into curiosity and unlock better interventions
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 95%
MGI is the actionable tool that operationalizes 'assume good inside.' When someone behaves badly, deliberately generate the most generous plausible explanation for their behavior. This isn't one right answer or excusing the behavior — it's a mindset shift from your reflexive 'least generous interpretation' that keeps you liking the person, puts you on the same team, and surfaces a wider, more effective range of interventions.
Origin
Dr. Becky Kennedy developed MGI out of an 'allergy to ideas that don't have action.' It began in parenting — realizing that the story she told herself about her kid at night became the parent she was the next morning — and she extends it directly to a colleague belaboring a point in a meeting.
Core principles
- 01The story you tell yourself at night becomes the leader/parent you are the next morning
- 02Your default 'least generous interpretation' quietly erodes how much you like the person
- 03You cannot be judgmental and curious at the same time — MGI forces curiosity
- 04There is no single right MGI; the point is generating a generous, plausible one
How to run it
- 1
Notice your least generous interpretation
Catch the reflexive story — 'they're being a baby,' 'they're vain,' 'my kid's a sociopath.' Name it so you can move past it.
- 2
Ask the MGI question
Ask: 'What's the most generous interpretation of why they would do that?' Generate a plausible, charitable explanation of the underlying need or state.
Pro tip Use whatever phrase 'hits your heart' — MGI, assume good inside, or assume positive intent. The mechanism matters more than the label.
Watch out MGI never makes the behavior acceptable — 'still doesn't make going on forever acceptable.' It changes your stance, not the standard.
- 3
Design the intervention from the MGI
Use the generous interpretation to craft a different, private, collaborative intervention that names the likely cause and invites joint problem-solving.
In the wild
Least generous: 'they're being a baby / vain.' MGI: maybe they didn't feel heard the first time. Kennedy scripts privately: 'something happens in meetings where I wonder if you don't always feel heard, and then you keep talking and then the rest of the room gets annoyed which makes us tune you out more which probably makes you belabor your point more. We're in a bad cycle. Can we work together on changing this?'
→ Instead of everyone complaining and nothing changing, one MGI-lens conversation moves things forward productively.
Kennedy's least generous read of a kid who jumps harder after being told to stop is 'sociopath.' Her MGI: a kid oriented around feeling in control who doubles down when that feels threatened — meaning an 'I'm disappointed with you' approach will never work on him.
→ She 'liked her kid again,' felt on the same team, and generated a different, better-fitting set of interventions.
Common mistakes
Confusing MGI with excusing behavior
A generous interpretation of the cause does not lower the standard for the behavior. Kennedy repeatedly stresses the behavior still isn't acceptable.
Staying in judgment
Judgment and curiosity are mutually exclusive. If you skip the MGI step you stay judgmental, which forecloses the curiosity needed to find the real cause.
Is it for you?
Best for
Leaders and parents whose reflexive interpretations of others' behavior are harsh and are stalling resolution
Not ideal for
Situations requiring immediate boundary enforcement before any interpretation work
From the transcript
“what is one tool I can use to action on that idea?”
“The story you tell yourself as a kid at night kind of becomes the parent you are the next morning”
“you inherently cannot be judgmental when you're curious and when you're judgmental about something, you're inherently not curious about it”
“we have one conversation through an MGI lens and things start you know moving forward in a more productive way”
From the episode
A child psychologist’s guide to working with difficult adults
Dr. Becky Kennedy