When you first meet someone, inevitably you make assumptions about them. This is something that everyone does. Indeed, before you even meet them by sending an email, making a phone call or reviewing their resume, it has already formed in your mind as to what sort of person he or she might be. These are the things we all do based on our perception, experience, faith and ideas. We create images of people in our mindsets. They are our unconscious prejudices.
But what if you have been assuming wrong things about somebody? Can this affect your relationship with them? Does it lead to any consequences for your organisation? How about those who are hired by the company; can they be affected? An organisation needs different types of individuals for resilience purposes while selling to clients of different kinds will require differe perspective to understand possible markets. We find people like us naturally attractive. People who resemble us make us more relaxed. Therefore if we do not think about this when we work together, we may end up surrounding ourselves with only those like us and lose the valuable input and ideas of others who might have diverse perspectives from ours. Here’s how to get over mental judgments and instinctive reactions.
On meeting a stranger for the very first time, do you ask him/her about his/her family right away? Although this may seem harmless at first sight, it depends on how these questions are asked. When you question a man regarding his wife and children or talk to a woman concerning her husband or partner it means that such information is known by you beforehand which can either be true or false assumptions made upon these persons’ lives.Or maybe after seeing someone dressed in a certain way form a thought about him/her.Or there is also this kind of situation one can find themselves in- receiving an email from an unknown person but being able to guess their name.Nonetheless arranging a meeting place where wheelchairs cannot pass through could be another way of demonstrating this.Furthermore, if you fix a meeting on an important date to some religion that is observed by many people, you may offend someone or exclude them without meaning to. These are quick ways in which we may stereotype. We assume things about individuals based on what happened to us. To think about different kinds of individuals takes deliberate effort. Think beyond and remember that everyone has their unique characteristics.
What seems perfectly fine to you can easily hurt others’ feelings. ‘Gentlemen,’ ‘ladies and gentlemen’ or ‘guys’ are all assumptions made when addressing a group of people in such a manner. Swearing or using jargon means that you assume people understand what you are talking about. A joke or light banter to you could have strong negative impact on somebody else’s life.Carefully consider how your language can be more inclusive so as not to make assumptions regarding what everyone enjoys.In case one does not know the best way to address someone, just talk with him/her concerning how they should be called.
You may get feedback that was unexpected if you make such presumptions. What for some reason appeared to be a perfectly good comment could have insulted, hurt or made another person mad. This can be due to sex, race, character, culture and many other differences between us. Nobody likes being told they’ve been less than perfect but there’s no need to become defensive when given feedback. Be cool, listen and try to see things from the other side.
This is not about yourself; it is about how others perceive your actions, words and language. You should also follow this rule if you ever feel offended or excluded by someone’s conduct. Think of ways how you might approach the person calmly and work together towards finding a solution.
Everybody is different and ignoring this would greatly affect our work. We may offend someone on our teams, miss out on an excellent candidate or badly damage a working relationship with a client. With some thinking we can have more inclusive workplaces as opposed to making all the assumptions we do. By showing each other mutual respect our relationships with others can only grow stronger.