Posted on Feb 18, 2015
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As leaders/people managers, do you believe the perceptions of your soldiers/employees or the results they provide, are more import to the success of your unit/company?
While perception can be important, it is worth noting that everyone's perceptions are influenced by stereotypes. Due to this, perceptions are inherently biased and quite often not accurate.
I would much rather have an employee that is perceived poorly, but does great work and has outstanding results, than someone that is perceived as the next big thing. These types of individuals tend to manipulate their environment to appear as such but rarely have the same results as the latter.
While perception can be important, it is worth noting that everyone's perceptions are influenced by stereotypes. Due to this, perceptions are inherently biased and quite often not accurate.
I would much rather have an employee that is perceived poorly, but does great work and has outstanding results, than someone that is perceived as the next big thing. These types of individuals tend to manipulate their environment to appear as such but rarely have the same results as the latter.
Posted in these groups: 
Employment
Leadership
Employment Leadership
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 8
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Results first. Perception always. Let's take this beyond the individual person you put forth as a hypothetical. Let's put the mission the Army has to be prepared for war while detering war. While we may be ready to do so, if we are not perceived as being capable of doing so, we fail...on multiple fronts. The American public loses faith and our enemies believe we are incapable and take advantage of that perceived weakness. They may be overwhelmed on the field of combat, but only at huge expense of blood and gold. That same hypothetical can be taken down to the unit level as well. While I may have the best Squadron in the United States Army, the most highly trained Cavalry Scouts the good Lord has ever seen fit to bless, and the most capable and ready vehicles in the fleet...it doesn't mean a thing if someone doesn't recognize that and put us on the top of the list for deployment.
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If you focus on results the perception will follow. There may be an excess of BS along the way but eventually those that rely on perception alone will eventually show their ass.
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SPC Ryan D. Does the dog and pony show have positive or negative overall impact on the Army's mission?
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In the recruitment world Results are needed and required - as a consultant for recruitment and marketing both are important
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I believe there needs to be a balance between perception and results. Results are hard to dispute they are either positive or negative but perception is as you say biased and you are correct. For example, a lot of people perceive help desks as unhelpful and a waste of time yet when they cannot resolve the issue themselves they call the help desk. That help desk can have a team of all stars but because of analysts before them they are perceived negatively. However, that team of all star analysts can change perception by providing excellent results.
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There's an old saying "Perception is Reality."
That said, results are important. But perception is equally important.
Let's take a fine dining restaurant for example. The food is top notch. But it's PRESENTATION is always stellar. It always looks good. More often than not, people will forgive "results" if they "perceive" things were good at first glance.
If you were to walk into a restaurant and the food didn't look good, you won't even bother to try it. It's not worth the effort.
That said, results are important. But perception is equally important.
Let's take a fine dining restaurant for example. The food is top notch. But it's PRESENTATION is always stellar. It always looks good. More often than not, people will forgive "results" if they "perceive" things were good at first glance.
If you were to walk into a restaurant and the food didn't look good, you won't even bother to try it. It's not worth the effort.
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SPC Ryan D.
Having worked in the food service industry, I can say on the front end, perception is very important. I will also say that many people pass up on amazing food because their perception of it was already biased.
For example, when I look at foie gras, I see an amazingly complex and delicious food that most people shake their heads in disgust at.
There is a reason that saying is old, because it has been proven that perception is not in fact, reality. Rather, perception is thought to be projection.
There are many articles out there on the subject, this one being one of my favorites:
http://www.neurosemantics.com/nlp-critiques/perception-is-not-reality
For example, when I look at foie gras, I see an amazingly complex and delicious food that most people shake their heads in disgust at.
There is a reason that saying is old, because it has been proven that perception is not in fact, reality. Rather, perception is thought to be projection.
There are many articles out there on the subject, this one being one of my favorites:
http://www.neurosemantics.com/nlp-critiques/perception-is-not-reality
Perception is not Reality | International Society of Neuro-Semantics
L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. There’s a saying going around the world of NLP that asserts absolutely, “Perception is projection.” But, is that accurate? How accur
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
@Ryan Dow. But as you state, people pass up amazingly complex and delicious food because of perception. That's the issue. If someone perceives something to be "bad" and never gives it a chance, it is bad. It doesn't matter if it is in fact good. To them it is bad. It is disgusting. They don't eat it because it's disgusting. That is why Perception is Reality.
Overcoming perception to get to the true reality is the crux. That's why the statement holds true and is still in common usage. Truth and Fact are not the same things. One is subjective, while the other is objective.
Overcoming perception to get to the true reality is the crux. That's why the statement holds true and is still in common usage. Truth and Fact are not the same things. One is subjective, while the other is objective.
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SPC Ryan D.
People making choices for themselves are doing so with their own best interests in mind, as they know themselves better than anyone else. They are making an informed decision based on past experiences with that or simliar foods. They are not making these decisions based on other peoples perception of that same food. This, again, makes those same choices inherently biased. These types of perceptions are VERY different than how we perceive other people, and can't really be compared.
This is why the source I listed comes from a site where part of their domain name is 'semantics'.
Comparing perceptions in the food service industry to that of military/corporate America is really apples to oranges. They simply aren't on the same plane.
This, really is why I asked the question to begin with. I feel people put way too much stock in perception vs. results to the extreme detriment of those whom are being perceived.
This is why the source I listed comes from a site where part of their domain name is 'semantics'.
Comparing perceptions in the food service industry to that of military/corporate America is really apples to oranges. They simply aren't on the same plane.
This, really is why I asked the question to begin with. I feel people put way too much stock in perception vs. results to the extreme detriment of those whom are being perceived.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
SPC Ryan D. too much stock probably is probably put into perception, however, most interactions are limited to a few seconds of perception vice any type of measurable result. There's a reason photos are so prevalent on boards. You can't convey "results" anywhere near as quickly as "perception.
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