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Friday, September 24, 2010

Lean Quote: Perception

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

“To be aware of a single shortcoming within oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in somebody else. Rather than speaking badly about people and in ways that will produce friction and unrest in their lives, we should practice a purer perception of them, and when we speak of others, speak of their good qualities.” - Dalai Lama

Perception is the awareness of objects or other data through the senses; knowledge, etc. gained by perceiving, insight, and intuition.  Awareness is the foundation of effective communication.  The following principles may help you in understanding others.

1.  No two people see things the same way.

2.  Each person thinks, feels, and sees things based on their own past experience.
3.  A person does not see things the same way at different times.
4.  People learn to see things as they do.
5.  People often see things not as they are, but as they want to see them.
6.  People tend to complete, fill in the gaps, those things they do not understand.
7.  People tend to simplify those things, which they do not understand.
8.  A person's self-image will largerly determine what the person sees.
9.  The way a person perceives another person is determined largerly by what the person expects to see in the other person.
10. People's emotional reation to others and to themselves often is the barriers to effective communication.
11. A person gains new perceptions only through new experiences.
12. Perception accounts for individual differences.
13. One's perception is highly selective and highly subjective.

Perception is a process through which humans attend to, select, organize, interpret, and remember stimulating phenomena. Although all people are constantly involved in perception and aspects of the process are sometimes similar across individuals (especially among closely related members of families or cultural groups), each person perceives the world in unique ways that are open to a number of influences. It is difficult for us to know what and how each other perceives. Making our perceptions clear to others is an important part of effective communication and mutual understanding.

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4 comments:

  1. One principle our company is reminding employees on is "assume positive intent." When you do you have a different perspective on what the person is trying to say or do. It will help drive everyone working in the best interest of the company and allow you to shed preconceived notions of others.

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  2. Matt that is good advice for everyone. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Hi Tim,
    I've been following you for some time and I really appreciate your posts!
    I'm working with lean in healthcare for sometime and we don't have enough published stuff in portuguese (unfortunately).
    Can I translate this one and post in portuguese (with the appropriate credit)? It would help people better understand lean...
    And, thanks for your posts..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carlos, I am glad you liked the post. Please, contact through email. mcmahontf22 at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete