As I’m scanning through the headlines this morning I see an
item about a Tumblr post that went viral. The topic? What color is this
dress? Some see it as gold and white,
while others are sure it’s black and blue.
The story notes that “different people apparently perceive the dress differently.” You bet
they do. And it’s not just about the color of a dress. Perception – the way we
think about or understand someone or something – is very powerful. It’s formed from our past experiences, our
beliefs, our expectations, our ideas. That’s why everyone’s is different.
What does this have to do with business? A lot!
Established author Anais Nin said, “We don’t see things as
they are. We see things as we are.”
In business, that doesn’t work. We need to see thing how they are. Misunderstanding what’s going
on around us highly ups the odds that we make a wrong decision; even if that
decision appears to be logical it will be based on mistaken assumptions. The
consequences can be overwhelming.
How do you prevent important business decisions from taking
a negative turn? In his article, How
Perception Affects Important Business Decisions, Noam Kostucki has come up with
several filters that can help sort things out. When faced with important
business decisions ask yourself the following questions. “What should I do if whatever I think, the
opposite is true?” “What should I do if
I don’t know what I don’t know?”
It may or may not change your perspective but it will sure
give you something to think about as you work your way through finding more
effective solutions for your business.
Posted by MJ Thomas
Posted by MJ Thomas