Perceptions, Biases, & Stereotypes: Accepting Differences in Thinking in Business & Life

Posted by Adam_Gottlieb under Self-Development
From http://frugalentrepreneur.com 4784 days ago

Whether or not we like to admit it, we all view the world through the lens of our personal biases and stereotypes. It's an unavoidable fact of human nature. If you accept it and go with it, you'll only gain- both in business and in life.

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Comments

Written by m4bmarketing
4783 days ago

Hi Adam,

It came up in my Google Alerts and as soon as I saw it was part of your post it was fine and you are right about trust.

Susan

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Written by ShoshFromJobShuk
4783 days ago

Very nice Adam!

Shoshana

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Written by Adam_Gottlieb
4783 days ago

Thanks, Shoshana.

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Written by m4bmarketing
4783 days ago

Great article Adam and thanks for including my post title. Although when I saw the ping back with the title I did freak for a second when I saw racism.

I thought someone had changed the post to be about racism and bias.

I especially like what you wrote about in the last paragraph and you see this in business as well in your personal life. Those unwilling to listen or take a step in understanding the other person's point of view I have found at times is because they are in some way afraid that what they believe to be true may not not be.

Susan

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Written by Adam_Gottlieb
4783 days ago

Hi Susan,

"...when I saw the ping back with the title I did freak for a second when I saw racism."

I realized after I had submitted the post to Bizsugar that the title gave the wrong impression, but I was unable to change it at that point to something more subdued. Sorry to freak you out ;)

"Those unwilling to listen or take a step in understanding the other person's point of view I have found at times is because they are in some way afraid that what they believe to be true may not not be."

I think everyone has this to some extent- some more than others. This is where the idea of trust comes in. When you fully trust the one who's giving the message, then it a creates a space in which your view point can change without feeling as threatened.

Adam

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Written by Adam_Gottlieb
4784 days ago

Yoni,

I don't think so many people would attend such a presentation... It's a very sensitive topic- especially among people who have been the victims of racial discrimination or those who hold on to many stereotypes themselves (but don't want to admit it.)

My point is that you can recognize a person or a group's inherent worth and still acknowledge their differences. I think people are afraid to at the risk of coming across as racist or culturally insensitive.

And I also enjoyed that Dolf Lundgren post... that's why the link's there

Thanks for getting past the title to actually read the article :)

Adam

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Written by saraib820
4784 days ago

It was a great title!

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Written by yoni67
4784 days ago

Adam,

Great post and excellent advice. It could be a great presentation at a conference or webinar. You are correct that our perceptions cloud our visions. I wrote a letter to Google about a year back after doing a search of images for "businesspeople." The problem? They were all WHITE! I got a nice letter back from a PR guy at Google. I did a search about 2 weeks later and it appeared as it does now: Africans, African-Americans, Cauasians, Hispanics, Orientals. Much more realistic.

And hey, I REALLY enjoyed that Dolph Lundgren article! Thanks buddy!

Yoni

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