Tricky Characters volume 1*

Career experience is not enough to judge a person’s body of work. It requires a deeper look into their perspectives and the way they learned beyond their in-the-books background. The idealism and realism are both powerful notes on how you could hire or work with the right people within your organization.

I was mistakingly judged by a younger executive that I won’t like a fast-paced working environment. Says who? My clear statement that “I easily get bored so I always have to feed fuel to my fire” may not be as clear as I thought. My problem is that I use metaphors and creativity to explain myself which usually gets lost in translation if the other party I am talking to possesses English only as their second language. From which, I have also communicated how important life-work balance for me is… to a 28 year-old young, single, restless and energetic executive. Hence, a bad conclusion. Like a mixture of bad cocktail drugs of [mis]judgment.

Beyond professional or personal factors, it is common to hear what you wanted to hear within any situation. That makes someone misjudge what is being truly said within the context of the whole conversation. Ever wonder why one negative statement could destroy the 999 positive things that you have done? Because personal opinions have not been segmented objectively. People jump quickly to conclusions without having to ask more, if uncomfortable, questions.

Emotions based on personal opinions are tricky. It clouds judgment and action. Yet they also spark the best creative ideas and passion. It is complex. Professionally (personally too), you just need to strike a balance.

– What is the objective?

– What are the major focus of this particular agenda for you to be able to come up with the right conclusion?

– Why do I feel this way, and is this feeling important to the matter?

– Did I really understand what has been discussed?

– Should I ask for more questions to reassert?

Judgment is a very strong word. But it always comes up anywhere. You can’t avoid it as much as you could try so why not just manage it? Just make sure that you won’t embarrass yourself in the process– or you should. It is, after all, a good mistake to learn from.

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Instinct is the gift of experience. The first question you have to ask yourself is, ‘On what basis am I making a judgment?’ … If you have no experience, then your instincts aren’t any good.

– Malcolm Gladwell

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*This will be a series.