Seeing What You Believe
Sometimes, one sees what one wants to see rather than what is really there.
That's a common concept in medical literature. It is a much more valid study if, for example, the surgeon who is testing a certain operative procedure on his patients is NOT the one who asks their follow up questions or examines them after the surgeon's procedure being studied. Because a surgeon has a vested interest (usually subconscious, sometimes overt) in making "his" procedure work so he sees what he thinks in his patients rather than what is there.
The same thing can happen in business. We can believe our customers love us - if we don't ask. Or don't listen to what they are really saying. We have to be ruthless in pursuing the truth from our customers, or we run the risk of losing them because we refused to see what we weren't providing for them.
I began thinking about this today when I got lost. In the town I've lived in for 8 years. On a street I travel on several times per week. I was trying to get to the post office to mail my taxes and went through a neighborhood I haven't been in before. But I got dumped out on a street I go up and down a lot - my gym is on it, I work at an outpatient center on it once a week or so, etc. So, I turned left, just like I thought. I went through two major intersections thinking I was going the right way before I realized I was going the opposite direction I needed to. Looking back, I so expected to be traveling west that my mind "saw" the intersections as if I was going west. But, I wasn't.
I can see what I believe to be true. Can you?
That's a common concept in medical literature. It is a much more valid study if, for example, the surgeon who is testing a certain operative procedure on his patients is NOT the one who asks their follow up questions or examines them after the surgeon's procedure being studied. Because a surgeon has a vested interest (usually subconscious, sometimes overt) in making "his" procedure work so he sees what he thinks in his patients rather than what is there.
The same thing can happen in business. We can believe our customers love us - if we don't ask. Or don't listen to what they are really saying. We have to be ruthless in pursuing the truth from our customers, or we run the risk of losing them because we refused to see what we weren't providing for them.
I began thinking about this today when I got lost. In the town I've lived in for 8 years. On a street I travel on several times per week. I was trying to get to the post office to mail my taxes and went through a neighborhood I haven't been in before. But I got dumped out on a street I go up and down a lot - my gym is on it, I work at an outpatient center on it once a week or so, etc. So, I turned left, just like I thought. I went through two major intersections thinking I was going the right way before I realized I was going the opposite direction I needed to. Looking back, I so expected to be traveling west that my mind "saw" the intersections as if I was going west. But, I wasn't.
I can see what I believe to be true. Can you?
Two Thoughts - one, in my line of work, I find that people rarely tell me what they really think. At least the people that I want to hear from and will receive it from. The only people I usually hear from are the people that aren't really interested in helping or being constructive - they just want to get their parting shot in.
Two - my wife says I live this way...only seeing things the way I want to see them!
Reply to this
Oh, I believe that people won't tell their pastor the truth a lot of times, particularly if the pastor is trying to find out if the church is serving its people, what the pastor can do better, etc. Its less threatening to tell a business owner whose company you use what they can improve on for sure. Less emotional overlay. I think the process of "customer survey" for churches needs to have a different approach than for businesses.
Reply to this