Perception and leadership essay

content/perception-is-sticky.md

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+title = "Perception is Sticky"
+date = 2020-07-19
+draft = true
+[taxonomies]
+tags = [
+    "perception",
+    "management",
+    "leadership",
+]
++++
+# Perception can make or break your culture
+
+**Perception**:
+> a mental image;
+> quick, acute, and intuitive cognition;
+> capacity for comprehension;
+> [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perception)
+
+Perception is our word for how people experience and comprehend the world
+around them. When you are in leadership, understanding how people perceive
+their workplace environment informs how you guide them. Managing that
+perception will in part determine how effective you are as a manager.
+Perception forms from experience. Our historical experience built our
+intuitions about current experience. Managing how that historical experience
+impacts perception of current events is a part of leadership.
+
+## Perception is sticky
+
+Perception tends to be sticky. It's formed by historical context and experience
+and it combines with our tendency toward [confirmation
+bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias) to stay in place. Once
+we have a particular perception we tend to notice facts and events that support
+that perception and discount the ones that don't. As a result, when a negative
+perception forms in someone it can be particularly challenging to dislodge it.
+Every misstep, every supporting event or action that supports the perception is
+magnified and held up as an indication that nothing has really changed. While
+every attempt to address the problems and improve is forgotten or thought to be
+of little importance.
+
+It's in our best interest as managers to avoid allowing a negative perception
+to take hold. Once they do, you may never be able to dislodge them. It's very
+hard to recover from the formation of a negative perception. It will color the
+culture and will poison the intuitions of your employees until it is changed.
+
+## Perception is communicable
+
+When we encounter a new situation, such as a new job, we look to those around
+us to help develop our intuitions about what to expect. We don't have
+experience to inform our intuitions yet, so we rely on the experience of
+others. If the prevalent perception of everyone is negative then we'll
+gravitate toward a negative perception as well.
+
+Once we begin to drift that way, then our confirmation bias kicks in and helps
+to push us even further in that direction. It takes a lot of effort to go
+against that cultural drift once it starts. Both the sticky and communicable
+natures of perception serve to make it one of the things that can make or break
+a culture. Unfortunately, there is also about a 50/50 chance that you'll be
+starting with positive perception from the beginning. This generally means that
+you will often be starting out with a handicap.
+
+## Perception is rarely a reflection of reality
+
+Our perception is affected by a lot of internal factors. We are quite good at
+rationalizing our own beliefs and justifying them. We also aren't usually in
+possession of a full understanding of everything we experience. Our perception
+is colored as a result. Both negative and positive perceptions tend to be somewhat
+misinformed. A negative perception will usually blow things out of proportion.
+It will paint things in an overly negative light and discount the positive
+aspects of a situation.
+
+Perception can create worry where it's not warranted. It can create unrealistic
+hope. It colors our reality in ways that can prevent rational and realistic
+expectations. The more out of line with reality a perception is the more
+incorrect the reactions to events will be.
+
+# Great leaders shift perceptions
+
+Many great leaders demonstrated a capacity to manage the perceptions and the
+intuitions of those they lead. In a sense managing perception is about causing
+a paradigm shift in how people approach their situation. Sometimes the shift is
+small. Sometimes the shift is big and sometimes it is small.
+
+I think the best leaders work to shift perception in ways that better match
+reality. A perception that is closer in line with reality leads to better
+outcomes. It reduces blind spots and allows an organization to react
+appropriately to its environment.
+
+## They acknowledge the historical context
+
+You can't shift perception without first acknowledging why the current one formed.
+The first step to correcting bad perception is to acknowledge that it exists for
+a reason. If the perception is lingering after a previous bad reality then before
+you can show that the reality has changed you have to acknowledge the bad reality
+that came before. If the perception is caused by poor communication of reality
+then acknowledging that failure is the first step to correcting it.
+
+Shifting someone's perception is much harder if you try to pretend the perception
+doesn't exist. You have to confront the perception and acknowledge the causes to
+generate enough of a shock to begin moving them in another direction.
+
+## They highlight additional context
+
+After acknowledging the cause of incorrect perceptions, you need to work to
+counteract the force of our confirmation bias. Highlighting the context that
+gets ignored. Emphasizing the importance of context that gets downplayed. This
+gradually begins to shift perception. There is no shortcut here. It takes
+consistency and time. You won't shift perception overnight. But if you stay
+consistent and honest, eventually perception will be more in line with reality.
+
+## They recognize their own perception
+
+Great leaders also recognize they also have perceptions that can be just as
+sticky as the people they lead. If the problem is that your perception is out
+of line with reality then you won't be able to work to keep others perception
+in line with reality We have just as much of a tendency toward confirmation
+bias and we need to work just as hard to counteract it. Sometimes, when the
+perceptions of those you lead differ from yours it's because you are the one
+who needs an adjustment.