Principles of Perception: Why it's so important to get it right!

As we go through another day in the office, we can look around and see people sitting at their desks working away on their projects. Walking through the halls, we pass by conference rooms where we can see people engaged in spirited discussions and planning meetings. We notice the artwork or posters on the walls that show “who” our company is. We think to ourselves how we thoroughly understand exactly our role in the company, why the company exists, its culture, its’ values and its goals. We are excited because everyone seems to be on the same page and senior leadership continually communicates effectively and often about all the key areas we need to understand……. Um, NOPE, doesn’t sound like anyone I know. How about you?

The reality is that we often have no idea what is going on with our colleagues, in those conference rooms and sometimes, even in our own meetings. Why? Because leadership has been focused on earnings and ROI and has done a less-than-stellar job of solid communication around exactly “who” the company is and “why” they do what they do (products or services).

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you knew exactly what each area in the company does and why? Further, equally amazing to fully understand what your company really is all about and the passion your senior leadership has for making things happen?  

In my soon to be released training guide; The Perception Principles?, I explain the importance of Perception Management in the work place. It is obviously of huge importance to ensure your company’s products and services are perceived as you desire out in your market space. However, unless or until everyone within your company is quite literally, on the same page with respect to “who you are,” and “Why you do what you do,” it won’t matter how you position your company’s products in the world because most often, customers won’t really understand who you are and why you do what you do. You will hear a lot of “marketing agencies” or “management consulting” companies call this “Branding your company.” But folks, it is way more than that marketing jargon!

It all sounds a bit elementary, doesn’t it? Well, that is because it is! However, this concept of internal perception seems to be something quite new to many companies. I am constantly dumbfounded by the lack of knowledge by senior leaders in this area. Which is unfortunate. Companies that do well with the science of Perception Management tend to become market leaders. I have worked in organizations where ror years, senior leadership would hold monthly or quarterly “status” update meeting with their senior and middle managers. 

I have seen where Regional Sales Directors are brought in for these types of meetings and leave confused as to exactly why they were even there. These meetings, more often than not, end up being simply information dumps and marching order assignments for the next month or quarter. Am I sounding familiar to situations you can relate to? Maybe you have found your organizations guilty of doing similar things. What a waste of everyone’s valuable time and intellectual resources. Also, what a miss on the perception within the organization!

The Principles of Perception training guide deals with senior leadership being on the same page (across the board) with regards to how they want to be perceived both internally and externally (not just personally, but their respective roles and the company itself). This can be a very fun and dynamic endeavor and should be “gut checked” every quarter to ensure consistency of thought and message. To begin, leaders must first get super clear on “who they are.” Why the company actually exists and why are you selling what you sell? And most importantly, how do you want the company, products/services to be perceived by your employees? Remember, employees provide a lot of free positioning for your company out in the market. I am thinking you want them to get this perception right!

TRA Perception Management helps companies get super clear on the Principles of Perception and then helps develop the appropriate strategies to achieve the desired outcome. We do a fun, fast-paced workshop that ideates everything from a company’s values (not value propositions) through manufacturing processes. Everything combined, equals the perception your employees have and ultimately your market place will have.

Want to learn more? Go to my profile on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drosenbergperceptionmanagement Send me a message or an invite to connect and let’s get started!