The case could be made that the way we perceive (interpret) people, things and events is, in large part, responsible for the way we choose to behave. Perception, like motivation is an internal matter residing within the individual. That means it has little to do with reality. In fact, often what we see coincides nicely with what we believe – why is that? The point is, perception is as important as reality, maybe even more so, because for all of us what we perceive is our reality (wow that may be too philosophical even for me).

In reality (is that my reality or yours?) this chapter introduces you to no more than eight perceptual errors (including stereotyping), which you are probably already familiar with. You just haven’t given them much thought until now. Remember the definitions, why these errors occur, and how to prevent or minimize them. That’s the most tricky half the chapter.

All of the concepts presented in this chapter are followed with examples of how they relate to the modern workplace. These are the authors’ examples. They were chosen to help you remember, and make the material relevant. Some of these examples you will find helpful. If they don’t help then make your own based on your own experiences. Remember the time you behaved a certain way and nobody took notice? Then you reasoned that you should stop doing whatever it was, because no one paid attention? That’s extinction!