Have you ever been in a job interview, a meeting or the presentation of your career and felt nervous or uncomfortable – like every one’s against you and you’re guilty until proven innocent? It’s easy to assume our listeners are skeptical, or that they believe us unqualified unless and until we can change their minds.
That kind of pressure is often just a perception. Working with a current client in preparation for a big job interview he felt that very skepticism, so I asked: Do you have a shred of evidence to prove they are that skeptical against you? After some thought, he simply replied: “No?” Then let’s pick a different perception. Let’s believe your interviewers (audiences, clients, managers…) are curious, not skeptical; inquisitive, not interrogating; open, not resistant… and if that’s their intention, how does that change how you’ll engage with them? If the unfounded perception you have doesn’t empower you, pick a perception that does.
What separates leaders from followers is followers have a perception and they follow it – unquestioningly, often looking for evidence to justify their perception. Leaders have a perception and they question it, they challenge it and they shape it to find the one that empowers them rather than deters them. This doesn’t mean leaders push away truth—it means they push away lies.
