Sometimes perception can be instantaneous or last over a period of time. In cases of snap perception, the perceiver quickly assimilates all available data and then makes their judgment. In longer cases of perception, the perceiver tends to hold on to their original judgment, unless something tangible comes along to convince them otherwise.
If I were to ask you to choose a car, to keep from one of the photos, which would you choose?
It would be an instant decision based on what you see on the exterior, how you would perceive the performance of the car and your personal needs.
Now let me ask you to choose one of the cars again, with some more information.
The engine in the sports car has been built from an ex-tractor, lawnmower and go cart engine.
The engine installed in the white salon car is a 3.0 litre twin turbo V8 engine.
Would you choose the same car again?
Managers in organisations have the pressure of ensuring that the function delivers all its objectives to a high standard. The most common approach is to assign someone who they perceive as the best person to deliver the objective or series of goals. This usually means that the most experienced, the high potential or sometimes the new arrival, will be assigned the goal or task. However, there is a big drawback to this approach, this can exclude people who have not had the chance to utilise their skills and flourish in new challenges. Over time, these employees can feel left behind and never be given the chance to really develop and contribute. A lot of employees in these situations feel there is no point in throwing their hat into the ring anymore to advance their career prospects. In my experiences, these employees have an abundance of technical and life skills to offer. They are very loyal and probably don’t complain when they must perform the mundane, but important tasks.
Due to the time pressures of the manager, they never really see the potential that is in front of them. They only ever have the chance for a deep, and sometimes, one way discussion, once or twice a year as part of the company’s appraisal scheme. They just see the exterior and never really have the opportunity to see the true capability of the employee. Like the example of the cars, they never really understand what is under the bonnet and take everything at face value.
So, the next question is; Are you the car that looks average, but underneath it all you have something currently not visible, that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary?
In a short time period working together, I can help people see your true skills sets and worth and we can work on the exterior perception, so you stand out amongst the rest.
Author
Gary Cox
September 2021