|
Looks Can Be Deceiving
by Lee J. Colan, Ph.D.
A few weeks ago, I met with a potential business partner at my home office. We discussed how we might work together. The meeting was done, we said thanks to each other, I opened the door and she walked out. I noticed my wife was in the front yard at that moment. Doing what? Of course watering our plants with Perrier!
So my potential business partner turned back to me as I stood in the doorway and said, "Gee, Lee, you must be doing MUCH better than I thought!" No doubt, we have been blessed in many ways, but not yet to the point where we use bottled sparkling water to irrigate our yard.
My wife likes to drink Perrier sparkling water, one of her few indulgences. For any Perrier drinkers out there, you know that once it loses its fizz and gets warm, there is a good chance your dog would not even drink it. So, never wanting to waste a natural resource, my efficiency-minded wife will occasionally use an unfinished green bottle to sprinkle on some plants during a hot Texas day.
Without the context I provided you, the looks of this situation could be deceiving. I remember learning a powerful lesson in my Social Psychology class at Florida State University. The situation or context is everything. So, we must seek to understand to full context to gain the correct meaning from an interaction or problem.
Just last week I had the opportunity to talk with Sharon Drew Morgen, the New York Times bestselling author, about the importance of our internal frameworks or systems. Her new book is titled, Dirty Little Secrets: why buyers can't buy and sellers can't sell and what you can do about it.
Listen to our discussion and role play to see how her powerful approach can help you boost your success.
Taking this topic more literally, check out these two images that were captured using a scanning electron microscope. The incredible details of an object 1 to 5nm (nanometers) in size can be detected, thereby creating a different visual context. Take a guess at what you think they are before looking below each image.
This is a split end of human hair. Make a mental note... stop by the store for more conditioner!
These are blood vessels emerging from the optic nerve. In this image, stained retinal blood vessels are shown to emerge from the black-colored optic disc.
Remember, take the time to inquire and learn and get the full picture. It will help you respond to the other party’s reality, not just yours, because looks can be deceiving.
Copyright © 2009 by Lee J. Colan and The L Group, Inc.
Return to Back Issues
|
