How behavior perceptions can debilitate progress

If I asked you to describe the limiting or disruptive behaviors of your employees or peers, there is no doubt you would describe people who behave in one or all of the following manners:

• Painfully slow in completing work.
• Socializes or complains too much.
• Lashes out when under pressure.
• A leader who is devastatingly slow in making decisions.
• An executive who refuses to work collaboratively with others.

These behaviors can be a sign of discontent at work or be rooted in much deeper psychological problems. More often than not, however, our perceptions of weaknesses or faults in the behavior of others is the result of:

1. Our perceptions and filters as to how we view the world.
2. The lack of awareness of others as to how they are perceived.

Studies such as those conducted by William Marston in the 1920s on styles of behaviors, as well as the work done by Carl Jung and Isabel Myers on personality types, all support a single hypothesis: we are all unique and different as a result of a variety of the influences of our surroundings. In essence, the lenses in which we view the world can cast a dramatically different picture for others viewing the same world.

Keeping this in the forefront of our observations can shed light as to why employees, peers, or even executives make decisions or take actions that conflict with our views.

The good news is that awareness and perspective can be broadened, making our decisions and behaviors more robust and effective. Coaching, if approached correctly, is one of the most effective tools that can bring awareness to how we are perceived by others, and the impacts our behaviors have on both ourselves and those around us, thereby increasing our flexibility and adaptability.

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Question: Consider the employees, peers, or colleagues with which you don’t see eye to eye. What are the influences that may impact their actions or decisions? How can you bring greater awareness to their limiting beliefs or conscious behaviors while being more flexible in your own perceptions?

Interested in learning more about how coaching can improve performance? Send me an email!

© Shawn Casemore 2014. All rights reserved.