Perception Management is about being conscious of your actions and their effect upon others. It is the ability of a person to see the mental mirror of oneself. The true skill is being able to see what you do, as it is really done in the eyes of others. More often we are ignorant of this and create our own downfall. When this skill is wisely put to use, it has the ability to influence and change the perception of the people around us.
The term perception management is often confused with deception. When people come across this for the first time, they think it is the art of a conman for mental deceit. Nothing could be further from the truth.
To practice this art, the first step is to take perception feedback. It is interesting and important to know what others perceive in terms of the mental image they have about you. The physical existence of a person can be seen in the mirror, but the mental image of us is out pictured in the minds of others. The strength of Interpersonal relationships depends on people’s perception of you and vice-versa.
Why is Perception Management Important?
If you are working in a corporate and looking forward to growing up the organizational ladder one of the vital factors is what people perceive about you. For instance, if you are a potential candidate for a job role of a manager who is to handle a team of 100 people, the first thing the management notices is their own perception about you and that of other people. Perceptions play an important role especially when you must be chosen for a leadership role. People will not follow a leader who is unfavorable in their perception of him or her. Technical skills will only take you thus far as to the completion of a task but working with other people as a team requires more from your interpersonal skills and your overall persona. Your career growth is no longer just in the hands of the management team or HR policies, it is there with yourself too. Practicing this skill fetches far more opportunities for growth than merely trying to work hard or cajoling a boss which is manipulative behavior.
Perception Management is not Deception
There is often a thin line between projecting ‘who you are’ and trying to manipulate others into thinking ‘who you are not’ to get a job done. Intentions matter. The core essence of perception management is being clear about what goal you choose to achieve and working along with people to get there. Deception will not take you far. Just as a sword can be used for destruction as well as for meaningful usage, perception management is a skill to consciously project what you truly are to others. Relationships are often clouded with first impressions and judgments, and perception management clears them paving the way to project who you are.
How to practice Perception Management
The first step of practice is Perception Feedback. Feedback does not mean just taking feedback from others. It is more to do with how you perceive yourself. What do you feel about yourself? An inquiry could sound like this: Do I come across as pleasant to others? Am I really interested in people or am I just managing them? Am I truly looking up to the higher job role or am I seeking to satisfy egoistic gains? Am I disinterested in my job and doing it just for salary? It is simpler to make some personality changes immediately such as genuinely greeting people. A ‘Good morning’ with a genuine smile and enthusiasm says a lot more about you than using 100 words trying to convince others that you are a good person. It is simpler to do the job with enthusiasm and appreciating and help people rather than taking credit for work through deceit and fear of competition.
The Second Step is Honesty. Speaking the truth is way simpler than lying to manage a situation. The challenge with lying is people will come to know one way or the other. Perceptions are carried not just through words and actions but through vibes as well. Lying takes a tremendous amount of effort and energy because one needs to remember it. Honesty is a potent force. Perception management is the practice of values that get out pictured in the minds of other people. Simple actions and words speak louder about you.
The Third Step is Conscious Awareness. Awareness brings the intelligence to plan and prepare for that which you choose to create. You need to be clear about the intended outcome. Being spontaneous in a situation does not help all the time. For instance, a PowerPoint presentation is a powerful tool and opportunity that projects who you are. If your awareness is only up to the point of presenting that which is there in the slide and managing a few moments of time to converse in impressive English, that’s what you project about yourself. But what about your intent, what about your expectation of the outcome of the plan, what about your mindset about the implementation of the plan, what about your ownership to execute the plan projected on the slides? Take a moment to visualize and think about what you are projecting. That is what is awareness all about.
“If you are conscious, you will plan and prepare for that which you choose to create in the minds of others with the precision of a bullet and represents who you are with utmost sincerity.”
The power of influence that one can create through the three steps of feedback, honesty, and conscious awareness is the right way to bring value to oneself and others. If you are open and ready to take up greater responsibilities and experience life on a higher level, managing perceptions is a positive tool that garners others’ support and helps you and others grow. If used any otherwise, it is a path to self-destruction.