Are You Going to Believe What You See or What You Hear?

Are You Going to Believe What You See or What You Hear?

When I take on client projects, I begin by getting myself organized in terms of what the desired outcomes are and what I know and need to know.

One of the key components of that process is validating what the client has told me. I seek empirical evidence and observed behavior to support or discard what I’ve been told. Clients often don’t believe what they see, just what they’ve been told.

One executive told me his organization was highly inclusive and there were no issues of bias or acceptance. I told him to meet me at the cafeteria at lunchtime, where we saw people grouped by ethnicity and color as if arranged by someone in charge of seating!

“It’s a coincidence,” he said, “HR has told me that our inclusion programs are very effective.”

“Do they serve liquor in the cafeteria?” I asked, “because we’re going to need some.”