He arrived late for the workshop. We
were into our first exercise. As the instructor, I was asking each person for
their answer to the initial question about their expectations. When it was his
turn, he replied, “I missed the beginning. I don’t know what you want.”
My private thoughts?
That’s his problem. Not mine. I don’t
know if that was a circumstantial problem or a systemic problem. Is he always
late?
Second Chance
I gave him the benefit of the doubt and
said, I’d come back to him. Gave him time to think and continued with the rest
of the room. Then, I returned to him and repeated the question. His answer was
an amalgam of the answers he heard. There was an absence of original thought.
I wondered. Was he a freeloader? Did he
have an excuse for everything? Was he
the Wally in Dilbert?
First Impressions
The first impression is cemented
quickly. It’s often right. Even if it’s wrong we will find ways to reinforce
what we already decided. I believe he didn’t contribute value to the workshop.
I could be wrong – but I was prejudiced by the first impression.
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