Document #: 545140 
Title: "Leadership and Perception"
Author: Michael A. Keller
Attributed To: Police Chief
Date of Last Update: 03/01/1999

Summary:
Leaders lead and followers follow, right? What if, as a leader, you believed you were leading but no one was following? What if your employees believed they were being led but in reality there was no leadership?


Document Text:
Leadership and Perception

By Chief Michael A. Keller, Webster Police Department, Texas

Leaders lead and followers follow, right? What if, as a leader, you believed you were leading but no one was following? What if your employees believed they were being led but in reality there was no leadership? We like to believe we are effective and efficient leaders, using our perception of what an effective and efficient leader is as a benchmark. Our supposed followers may have a very different perception. It does not matter whose perception is right - what does matter is that what we perceive, we believe. After all, perception is the truth.

In the arena of leadership, perception can be defined as the acute awareness of a leader's effectiveness in an organization, based on an introspective assessment and accurate internal and external feedback.

While most everyone agrees that a good leader must possess three primary skills - vision, interpersonal skills and technical skills - the literature on management principles is noticeably lacking with respect to perception. I would argue that to survive as an effective leader, this skill is every bit as important as the other three.

The fact that people can perceive the same thing differently must become an integral part of the decision-making process for all leaders.1 As Whisenand wrote, "The probability of developing such knowledge of ourselves and other people is enhanced if the police supervisor (1) becomes continuously aware of the intricacies of the perceptual process; (2) avoids arbitrary and categorical judgments; (3) seeks reliable information before judgments are made; (4) shifts position as additional information is acquired; and, most crucial, (5) recognizes that we all see things differently because our needs greatly determine the view we have of ourselves and the world. To ignore the importance of the perceptual process is to ignore a major determinate of behaviors."2

I learned that perception was a force to be reckoned with several years ago, when I heard rumors about me that disturbed me because they were not true. When the opportunity arose, I asked others how I was viewed in the organization and received numerous, sometimes contradictory, answers. I then set out to gather whatever information and data might be available to make an accurate assessment and appropriate changes.

Realizing that I had to know what the employees honestly thought of me in order to be an effective leader, I made appointments to speak with employees whom I knew well and others I barely knew. There were only two rules: be honest and be respectful. I approached this not as an opportunity to take a shot at me but as an opportunity to help me learn to be a better leader. (If you give your employees an opportunity to take a shot at you, face to face, you will find that they will be less than frank for fear of reprisal. However, in a constructive criticism atmosphere, they can be brutally honest.)

As people described their perceptions of me, it sometimes made me very uncomfortable because I knew in my heart that the person they were describing was not the person I believed myself to be. It was at this point that I learned the significance of perception versus "truth."

Having become aware of the need to recognize and acknowledge employees' perceptions and gathered data through interviews, it was time to objectively extrapolate from the data the relevant facts, review the facts for accuracy and make an assessment on how to change perceptions.

Assessing the necessity for change requires a very objective, introspective look at ourselves - something that is not always easy or comfortable. But taking a systematic approach to perception and the resulting appropriate changes (if any) helps put issues into a perspective that is not overwrought with emotion.

The Importance of Communication

You may have the best intentions and a genuine concern for the welfare of your employees, but if you do not communicate this in a fashion that your employees can understand, their perceptions may be just the opposite. Clearly, communication is the most important tool a leader has at his disposal; effective, accurate communication touches all aspects of leadership. Sensitive to employees' perceptions, a good leader will use communication as a tool to either reinforce a positive perception or change a negative one.

To change a negative perception through communication, a leader must be proactive. The saying that "the best defense is a strong offense" is very appropriate here. When communicating with employees administrators must remember to listen to what is being said and provide a timely, accurate response.

Listening is a fundamental aspect of effective communication. How can we solve a problem when we have not listened to what the problem is perceived to be? How can we discern the difference between a symptom and a problem when we have not listened to the facts? How can we help when we do not hear? Adler reports that "when 282 members of the Academy of Certified Administrative Managers were asked to list the skills most crucial for managerial ability, 'active listening' was rated number one and placed in the 'supercritical' category."3 Listening to what employees have to say sends a message that you care about their input - that they have value.

Interactive listening is an integral part of effective listening. When an employee comes into your office to speak with you about some problem, come down from the "Ivory Tower," grab a note pad, sit across from him and listen, taking notes if necessary. Employees frequently have some very good ideas.

Communication with employees should be done in a timely fashion. If an issue exists that requires input, don't wait so long that the information you disseminate is ineffective. Finding the right moment to interject an idea or address an issue is always a consideration. How many times have employees asked one another, "What kind of mood is the boss in today?" They are assessing whether the timing is right to engage the boss in conversation or just leave him alone.

When communicating with your employees, be sure that the information given is accurate. Inaccurate information will only lead to confusion and impact productivity. Remember, if you're the leader of the organization, what you say is very often perceived as gospel - even when it is no more than friendly, idle chitchat. How many times have you heard your employees say "Well, I thought you meant..."? Their perception of what you meant was different from what you communicated.

Accuracy is complemented by consistency. Understandably, employees want to be treated fairly; we should strive to be consistent in our interaction with them. We should not communicate displeasure to one employee and fail to communicate it to another employee for the same issue. It's very important to remember that employees talk among themselves and frequently compare notes. Failure to be consistent in how we communicate will send mixed and confused messages.

E-mail, while convenient, should be avoided when the situation requires face-to-face communication. Sometimes what we say is not nearly as effective as how we say it. Tone, inflection and body language contribute a great deal to the perceived message.

While maintaining the chain of command is critical, of course, an open-door policy can be very beneficial to the effective leader. On occasion, an employee may be moved to take advantage of your open-door policy and engage you in confidential conversation. When you agree to talk with an employee "in confidence," you are giving your word that you will not divulge the information. Failure to keep your word will result in the perception that you cannot be trusted.

Never lose sight of the power of the grapevine. If you fail to keep your word with an employee, other employees are likely to find out about it quickly, resulting in a severe blow to your credibility.

Administrators who want to accurately assess their employees' perceptions must open their eyes and ears. Too many administrators take the fact that problems are not knocking down their door as evidence that everything is great. When a confidence vote is called for, an association is formed or morale plummets, these same administrators react with anger and hostility - usually at the wrong people - for issues they themselves should have known about.

Through an increased awareness of - and sensitivity to - the ways in which we are perceived by others, we can more readily become the best we can be. Using all of the tools available to us, we can achieve great things. We owe it to our employees, our citizens and ourselves.

1 S. Robbins and D. DeCenzo, "Fundamentals of Management," Essential Concepts and Applications (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1995), p. 236.

2 P. Whisenand, "Police Supervision," Theory and Practice (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971), p. 30.

3 R. Adler, "Communications At Work," Principles and Practices for Business and Professions (New York: McGraw Hill, 1992), p. 93.

Copyright 1999, by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, reproduced with permission.

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