Client’s Perception Vs. Reality: The Fine Line

 Don’t you just love when you hear, “It’s their perception and perception is reality”?

Well so do I, (not really).  I respect a person’s perception on things, and I will always try to understand their outlook, because that’s how we learn and I’m all for learning.

It reminds me of another saying, “Only believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear”. So, what I’m saying is, respect their perception, but keep an open mind.

This is when your listing abilities will be tested. 

When a person’s emotions are intertwined with their perception of what happened in a situation, it becomes your responsibility to navigate through the ‘perception vs. reality’. Not to say that their perspective is always wrong, but sometimes what really is going on is different than how they see it.
With this in mind, the only recourse in my years of managing employees and clients alike, has always been to investigate, interview, document every finding.

Once an investigation is warranted, be sure to follow all protocols that are currently in place. It’s your responsibility to ensure a fair and comprehensive report. One that would seem reasonable to a jury. Remember that it’s like any other investigation and not your job to judge, but to understand and find the reality of the issue at hand. Your challenge is to overcome any and all perceptions the client may have.

A client’s closed minded perception could be limited to a member of their staff. Depending on the level or severity of the incident, you may want to reassign the person in question to office detail until resolved. 

As difficult as it may be to prove or disprove a person’s perspective of the situation, your responsibility will be to bring understanding to all parties. I know, easier said than done right? Well that’s where the facts come into play. Remember, you are not forcing them to change their mind, you are carefully bringing the issue into focus.

Your main responsibility is to find facts and define the perception to the satisfaction to everyone involved. This includes a follow up and follow through. Your actions will be questioned, so have answers and documents that could help the client see things from a different perspective and hopefully change their perception of the situation and handled in a fair way.