Role of Perception in Leadership and How to Change It

How often have you asked yourself, “How could my partner, colleague, or employee have misread my intended communication so badly?” This MBA lecture summary provides the answers, strategies and suggestions for changing other people’s perception of you as a leader and person.

We all live in a constant duality between how we see ourselves and how others see us. That’s why we require social validation of our actions and responses.

But there’s another dimension that further deepens the problem.

The Perception Gap

We suffer from the gap between perception and reality. That is, individually, we perceive certain things and people (very) differently. The problem with the business side of that issue is that employees will evaluate you as a leader based on their perception of your abilities and performance and not yours.

So to even begin working toward the solution, we must first understand the key attributes of a successful leader and how perception –which is absolutely subjective and individual — influences your success.

The Key Attributes of a Successful Leader

• Technical Skills

These are given.

• Strategic Vision

Or where do they think you’re leading them.

• Interpersonal Skills

Acknowledging and understanding how perceptions affect your relationships with other people, and therefore your ability to lead.

That said, the ability to understand and influence perception is particularly important in interpersonal skills. To be an effective leader, you must realise that no two people perceive things the same way simply because they judge based on what they see.

In other words, your team and colleagues build their reality based on background thoughts and sense of the world. Anything that doesn’t fit into this reality can be quickly dismissed, ignored or misconstrued. On the other hand, elements that might support personal vision will be greatly used to reinforce it.

The problem is that the generated perception influences our/their behaviour and, therefore, performance.

Factors That Influence Perception

• Habit
• Motivation
• Learning
• Specialisation
• Social Background

Ingrained habits create a mental framework through which we filter incoming information, often leading to selective perception based on familiarity. For example, a coffee lover might perceive the aroma of coffee brewing in a cafe before others who don’t regularly drink it.

RECOMMENDED READING: Charles Duhigg, “Power of Habits: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business“

Our desires and needs (motivation), can alter our focus and interpretation, making us more likely to notice and value things that align with our goals. The analogy is a hungry person who might see food-related items in a shop more readily than a satiated individual.

Everything we learn (ie, prior knowledge and experience) up until the moment in which we are constructing our perception of something shapes our understanding, providing a context through which we interpret new stimuli. For instance, a botanist might recognise a rare plant species while hiking, while others might only see generic greenery.

Expertise in a particular field can lead to a more nuanced and detailed perception within that domain, while potentially overlooking broader aspects. A software engineer might quickly identify a bug in a program that others wouldn’t notice.

Finally, our cultural upbringing and social interactions instil values and beliefs that colour our interpretations of the world. For example, a person from a collectivist culture might perceive a group project as more important than individual tasks, compared to someone from an individualistic culture.

RECOMMENDED READING: Daniel Kahneman, “Thinking, Fast and Slow”

Let’s now import these factors into our team and see what happens.

Case Study: Team’s Perception of Their Common Leader

Imagine a team of five engineers and assign a single dominant factor we discussed to each. How exactly will they perceive you as their leader? What would a general (common) perception of that leader be?

Individual constructs

1. Engineer 1 (Habit): This engineer, accustomed to a particular leadership style from past experiences, might perceive the leader based on how closely they resemble those familiar traits. If the leader deviates significantly, Engineer 1 might have difficulty adapting their perception.
2. Engineer 2 (Motivation): Driven by career advancement, Engineer 2 might view the leader as a stepping stone. They’ll perceive the leader’s actions through the lens of how those actions can benefit their career trajectory.
3. Engineer 3 (Learning): This engineer, always eager to learn, might perceive the leader as a mentor. They’ll closely observe the leader’s decision-making processes, technical skills, and leadership style, seeking opportunities to learn and grow.
4. Engineer 4 (Specialisation): Highly specialised in a particular technology, Engineer 4 might perceive the leader based on their technical competence in that specific area. They might respect the leader if they demonstrate deep knowledge, but might be critical if they perceive a lack of expertise.
5. Engineer 5 (Social Background): Coming from a culture that, for instance, values collaboration and consensus, Engineer 5 might perceive the leader based on how well they foster teamwork and inclusivity. They might appreciate a leader who encourages open communication and values everyone’s input.

General Perception

The general perception of the leader would, of course, be a blend of these individual perspectives. However, it would be influenced by the dominant (global) factor within the team. For instance, if the team leans towards learning and collaboration, they might generally perceive the leader as a mentor and facilitator. If, on the other hand, career advancement and individual specialisation are more prevalent, the leader might be viewed more as a means to an end.

How to Bridge the Gap between Perception and Reality

Getting honest feedback — and let’s be honest about it — can be a little bit like hearing your own voice. It’s not always a comfortable experience, but it can provide enlightenment. This, in turn, allows you to gauge what those around you view as their reality.

The feedback process protects you from erroneous perceptions. You’ll be perceived as someone with empathy who always considers different points of view.

But the path from point A to point B is neither quick nor easy.

Remember though that if you don’t know how you perceive, you can’t change things.

So one way or another, you have to become open to constructive criticism. It will ensure that your leadership actions match your words.

However…

When you receive feedback, it will most likely oppose your self-perception. Consequently, you’ll feel mental stress. But should you accept the prevailing opinion, no matter how bitter it tastes, you will inevitably:

1. Keep seeking fresh feedback.
2. Start to communicate your own thinking process and motivations more openly.
3. Adopt a more of a consensus-based approach to others.

Cumulatively, the perception will slowly turn into reality.

How to Change People’s Perception

The science of persuasion and influence generally revolves around two questions:

1. How does our behaviour influence the behaviour of others?
2. How does other people’s behaviour influence our behaviour?

Therefore, a simple step to gain more influence over an individual is, for example, the use of mirroring.

When you mirror someone’s body language and words, the other person automatically becomes more engaging because a) they feel you trust what they say and b) you’re interested in their opinion.