By John R. Nocero & Jennifer L. Kennedy
JenniferKennedy@barberinstitute.org
Look at us. We wear glasses. We started wearing them when we were young. They have shaped the way we see ourselves and the way we see the world. As with all things, these “four eyes” that once made us nerdy have now become trendy. Although if you know us, you know that we wear the nerd mantle with pride.
The center of our collaboration is done through the perception of our eight eyes. As Sean Covey once said, “Paradigms are like glasses. When you have incomplete paradigms about yourself or life in general, it is like wearing glasses with the wrong prescription. That lens affects how you see everything else (Covey, 2017). We could not agree more.
One thing we’ve learned as glasses wearers is that people don’t see the world as we see it. These lenses offer us a slightly different view. When we look through our lenses we know that it is not a black and white world. We also know that we do not have the option to wear rose colored lenses. From our “eight eyes” the world, and compliance, live in grayscale based on interpretation of regulations and standards; on the consequences of action or inaction; and on the culture of an organization; on the ethics of an individual; on our interpretation of the rules and on how and if to follow them.
We’ve also learned that we are viewed differently based on our glasses. We are perceived as being intelligence based on our lenses. According to current research from Dr. Travis Bradberry appearing January 3, 2017 on Forbes.com, how smart people think you are is just as important as how smart you actually are. Bradberry says the hallmark of emotional intelligence is self-awareness, involving not just knowing how you are but also how other people perceive you. You might not be able to alter your genetics, but Bradberry says people wearing glasses – especially thick, full-framed ones – are perceived as being more intelligent.
Think about that. People think we’re smart based on the wearing of glasses (which we have no control over). Once they realize we are smart, we have far more influence to persuade leadership that what we have to say is important and that what we focus on – compliance – has more weight.
Bradberry also says that people with high emotional intelligence are masters of influence – they are skilled at altering their behavior to make the most of a given situation. Hmm. This is an important skill for a healthcare or compliance professional. Staying impartial can be challenging, especially when we are impacted by our own unconscious biases (Oppenheimer, 2017). Just remember not to call the world “dirty” because you forgot to clean your glasses (Hill, 2017).
[clickToTweet tweet=”Through Rose-Colored Glasses” quote=”Through Rose-Colored Glasses” theme=”style3″]
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to mention that I’ve really enjoyed browsing your blog posts.
In any case I will be subscribing in your rss feed and I
am hoping you write once more soon!
Comments are closed.