Effective leadership performance is fundamentally tied to two critical practices: how you listen to those you lead and the impact of your communication on their performance. Leaders must proactively cultivate an acute awareness of what they are hearing from their team. Failing to do so can lead to false conclusions about situations and people, causing you to misdiagnose problems or be entirely blindsided.
I recently observed a seasoned leader providing feedback on a mid-level leader’s perspective regarding a particular situation. The seasoned leader casually dismissed the issue with the phrase, “Well, perception is reality,” implying the junior leader’s view should be treated as fact. While a perception is certainly real for the person who holds it, this is precisely the moment where true leadership must step in and challenge that view.
Perception is not reality; perception is perception or an interpretation. As a leader, your role is to become curious—to investigate the source of that person’s perception. You must help the leader examine the lens through which they are speaking about others and the potential impact of their words on the parties involved. Challenging how people frame and represent their colleagues, and holding them accountable for the impact of their communication, is crucial for developing responsible leaders.
Statements people make about others are often built on assumptions with no grounding in objective reality. When unchallenged, these statements can influence how other leaders judge and interact with a professional, potentially leading to incorrect decisions.
I challenged the seasoned leader, pointing out that while the phrase “perception is reality” is common, its use is often a form of intellectual laziness. This leader needs to start by examining their own listening—the filter that allowed them to use that phrase, perhaps to subconsciously justify their own existing viewpoint.
This led to a much deeper conversation which allowed the Senior Leader to investigate their assumptions and conclusions that distorted their own view of the situation.
Are you the kind of leader that has the courage and is willing to address your own listening and how it impacts the people you lead? We collaborate with leaders to create cultures of transparency and accountability while discovering the value of authentic listening as an access to breakthrough performance.
