Perception – A Reminder From A Kindergartner
For months I tried to convince one of my children that kindergarten was going to be fun. I told her that I enjoyed school when I was her age. Telling her that she was going to make new friends didn’t seem to help either since she is most definitely an introvert. I even enrolled her in a 4 week program to help prepare her for her new adventure. While she enjoyed the program she was convinced that she was going to dislike kindergarten and continued to tell me, and everyone else.
The week before school started the elementary had a “Meet the Teacher” night. Since this was our first foray into public education we decided it would be a good idea to attend. Our daughter had the opportunity to meet and talk to her new teacher. I informed the teacher that my daughter was excited about learning, but scared about the social aspects of school.
The first day of school I was expecting a meltdown by my child. Instead she willingly took her teacher’s hand as they walked into the building. I couldn’t believe that she handled the transition so well.
Thinking back we did a few things right and some not so right. First, no matter what you tell someone they will develop their own opinions. Second, perceptions are difficult to change – the person often needs to have an experience directly. No matter how many times I told my daughter kindergarten would be different than daycare she did not believe me until she experienced this for herself. Third, preparation helps, but it is not always enough to make a mind shift. Finally, a sample or a preview can help a person understand what they are getting.
I thought I could convince my daughter that school would be fun simply by telling her it would be so. This was a huge mistake. I’ve heard other parents having success with this method, but my daughter needed more. She needed to experience it for herself. Isn’t this true with all of us in both our business and personal lives. Perceptions are difficult to change, not impossible, but difficult.
What perceptions do you have that are hurting your business?
August 17th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kelly Damron, E. Arthur. E. Arthur said: RT @kkdamron Prosper Strategic Finance, LLC Perception – A Reminder From A Kindergartner http://is.gd/elYys [...]
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August 17th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
One of the perceptions I have that has hurt our productivity relates to the concept of authority. I tend to think that the people I hire understand that concept the same way that I do, that it doesn’t matter how I give an order, all that matters is that I give it, and you’re supposed to follow it. I suppose this comes from a kind of unbringing I had where authoritarian figures ruled. As a result, one of my biggest liabilities is that I sometimes give orders sternly and those orders are viewed as being condescending by staff, even though this wasn’t my intention. I find that the people who work for you don’t really care that you’re the boss; they want to offer their insight, skill and expertise, and expect to be listened to. Even more, they really expect you as the owner to try to implement or incorporate their views. The old, “Ours is not to question why, ours is but to do and die” slogan may work well in the military, but not so much in day to day business operations!
August 17th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Eric, your example of authority is a perfect example of how perceptions can impact our business relationships. My husband has a “condescending” tone sometimes when we discuss accounting topics, but his staff love him so I’m assuming he doesn’t talk that way to them. When people think you are talking down to them they feel degraded, even though that is not the intention. It can created a challenging work environment.
September 14th, 2010 at 2:47 am
trying to follow you on twitter but cant find your name
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September 21st, 2010 at 12:37 pm
my twitter name is @kkdamron. Thanks for stopping by my blog.