Perceptions can be more important than reality is a reality itself.
A few years ago, while Andre Agassi was still at the peak of his career, Canon advertised their new “Rebel” camera featuring him, with the tagline: “Image is everything.” Fred Lee explores a slight variation of this idea: perceptions are more important than reality. Sounds odd? Bear with me.
Let’s imagine you are a patient in a hospital (God forbid). It’s late at night, and you’re half-asleep in your room. A nurse comes in, checks on you, and quickly closes the door as she leaves. How do you feel? You might think she’s in a rush to get to another patient (Wow, this hospital is always so busy). You could interpret it as inconsiderate (Hey, I wanted that door open!). Or perhaps you might even think the nurse is talking behind your back!
However, the truth is that the nurse closed the door to minimize the noise from the incoming shift report. She did it out of consideration for your comfort. But you didn’t know that. Instead, you’re preoccupied with thoughts like, “What did I do to deserve this?”
Your Reality of Good Intention is Not The Patient’s Perception
Good intentions and quality care do not always translate into the perception of good care. Here’s a vital leadership lesson: to impact patients’ perceptions (and therefore their satisfaction), those good intentions must be verbalized. Let me say it again: good intentions must be communicated verbally. This isn’t about showing off or brown-nosing; it’s about aligning your actions and words with your intentions to provide reassurance to the patient and avoid misunderstandings.
The Right Perception – the Customer Service Way
The nurse could have asked, “Would you like me to close the door? It gets quite noisy during shift change. It won’t take too long.” That simple ten seconds of communication, repeated over thousands of patient interactions, creates a perception that “these people are looking out for me.” It fosters a sense of care and reassures patients that they are in a good hospital or clinic.
The Healthcare Myth
Hospitals and clinics often make the mistake of believing that simply treating a patient well guarantees they will return when they are unwell. This is a fallacy! As soon as patients leave that sick bed, they are unlikely to remember treatments, medications, or comprehensive therapies. Instead, they will remember their perceptions of the care they received: the courtesies, kindness, politeness, humor, and all elements of customer service displayed by hospital or clinic staff. Many hospitals and clinics fail to recognize this, erroneously blaming the economy when patient numbers decline. They respond by issuing outrageous bills, which only worsen the situation. This is a significant leadership failure.
Generic Applications
Similar scenarios can occur in other service industries, such as supermarkets, restaurants, bars, or hotels. For example, a CEO of a well-known restaurant chain observed a customer repeatedly adding salt to their soup. Recognizing a possible issue with the dish, she approached the customer, tasted the soup herself, and ordered a complete replacement at no extra cost. If you were that customer, would you consider going to another restaurant in the future?
Misunderstandings, Misinterpretations
We all experience misunderstandings in daily life. We often misinterpret others’ actions, while others misinterpret ours. Relationships can falter not because love has faded, but because it isn’t understood; it’s as if one partner is speaking a different language. Communication may occur, but it is often ineffective. Many young people today loudly express themselves while using strong substances, yet they communicate with “nobody” who understands them or resonates with their experiences. Talking doesn’t equal communication, and communication doesn’t ensure connection.
Perspectives that Matter: Right Perceptions
We must approach every interaction with patients from their perspective, not our own. This common error can have significant consequences! Patients’ perceptions of the care they receive are more important than many realize. When we learn to manage these perceptions, we cultivate positive feedback, and word-of-mouth promotion begins to thrive.
I have a painter who takes two hours to paint one square meter of wall using half a bucket of paint. When I asked him why he spends so much time and resources on such a small area, he replied that he wouldn’t be happy unless the work met his quality standards. However, this painter isn’t the one paying himself; it’s the customer—myself in this case—who sees him as someone with low productivity. Am I against quality? NO! Quality should not come at the expense of quantity, and vice versa. How can one expect to present just a few square meters in several hours and ask for payment, even advance payment, while requesting the customer’s patience for completion on his timeline? At this rate, how many years would it take to finish an entire building? Speed certainly matters in achieving success. Still not convinced? Consider this: how can perceptions be more important than reality? After reflecting on it, I believe these two statements are key:
– Perception is the patient’s reality.
– The reality that patients experience (i.e., perception) is GREATER THAN the actual reality of the situation.
The Reality of The Realities: Perception
You might think this reflects foolishness or shallowness on the part of the customer (or patient). It isn’t; it’s about perception. It’s often more real than reality itself. For example, a judge’s impression of you based on your demeanor in court carries more weight than the evidence and witnesses you present. That’s why it’s crucial to conduct yourself appropriately in court and manage your feelings so they don’t show on your face. Why? Because perception often outweighs reality.
Questions
How can we train our staff to manage perceptions effectively? It requires a different skill set than just improving or changing attitudes. While perception, like behavior, is typically addressed under the umbrella of attitude, I argue that this question itself may not be the right one. Training alone isn’t enough; what we need is CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT.
Solutions
Request the CONTACT assistance with PERCEPTION in CUSTOMER SERVICE and WORKPLACE ATTITUDE ENHANCEMENT to reposition your workforce from Dr. Mike Ihezuo as he collaborates with Proctles Consulting: https://www.proctles.com/
