Whether you are aware or not, your perceptions impact how you process stimulus from your world. It is a subconscious, seamless, instantaneous judgment that happens as we interact with each other in our personal and business life.
Each of us are programmed by the four pillars of our youth – our parents, our school, our peers and our culture. Most people are not consciously aware of the extent to which our thinking is wired into our brains through our autobiography.
Many of us proceed through life utilizing this filter without even realizing it. Yet it impacts our decisions, relationships, and communications.
Perception is defined as “The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.”
As a Management and Leadership speaker and trainer I poll attendees regarding their perceptions of different generations in the workplace.
The results are interesting and sometimes comical. e.g. “Boomers are afraid of computers” as a blanket statement when Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, and Bill Gates are all Boomers.
Here are some recent insights from my students:
1. Boomers are Greying Yuppies, the greying ceiling, and need to get off the hedonistic treadmill.
2. Generation X created depression because they are more intrinsic than extrinsic.
3. There’s no reason to be better because there’s no value in it.
4. A Millennial told me “when I was graduating from college they told me I was better than most of the population because only a small percent have MBAs like me.”
5. Millennials are not interested in historical knowledge because they can “WIKI” anything they need to know.
6. I’m no longer paid on what I do, I get paid on “who I am.”
Wonderful! This type of misconception is exactly why I created my audio program “Communicating and Working Effectively With Five Generations in the Workplace.”
Perceptions impact not only our communication, it also impacts the projects and opportunities we offer to employees.
My expectation is not that you erase pereptions, but that you increase awareness of how your perceptions impact your interactions at work.
Everyone has their own perceptions of life and work based on their values and beliefs and how they manage information.
How about you? What are your perceptions about generations at work? I would love to hear about your real life experiences.
 Known as a highly effective teacher, public speaker, and communicator, Yvonne F. Brown has taught seminars on team building, leadership, communication, & management in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. |
|---|
| Yvonne is proficient in a variety of management topics, including interpersonal, organizational, and intercultural communications, conflict management skills, and helps employees with their career growth. |
| If you would like to connect with Yvonne you can follow her on Facebook, see her in action on YouTube, network with her on LinkedIn or via her corporate fan page JAD Communications |
| Listen to her radio show at Blog Talk Radio |