I have a confession to make … My colleague’s desk reminds me of a war zone. 😬
Amidst uncountable stacks of files – which all look like they are about to collapse – lies a motley assembly of unopened mail, paperclips, erasers, sharpies, ribbons, tapes, post its (in varying sizes and colors), highlighters, a smorgasbord of printouts, flyers, event calendars, pens, and many more office supplies whose names escape me at the moment. I also count three notepads – one lying on top of the most unsteady stack of files, one hidden underneath a pile of rubber bands, and another one in the drawer (which is a war zone by itself). The keyboard rests on a folder, both of which are sitting on her lap. (I am not sure if she prefers it this way or if it’s because there is no room on the desk.) And last but not least, there are several bags and containers with snacks conveniently located within inches of her computer mouse.
Now here’s the funny thing:
I look at her desk and see disorder and confusion. My co-workers, on the other hand, presume she is either plain lazy or in over her head. Meanwhile, she believes she is a great multitasker.
How is that possible!? How can one and the same behavior be perceived so differently? Not only differently but positive AND negative?
Drawing on personal experience, when I was a child my room was declared unacceptably messy if it didn’t live up to certain expectations. By the same token, my friend would be called a sloth by her folks. My cousin, however, was never criticized if he failed to straighten up his room. His parents thought he already had enough on his plate.
To me that’s quite an illuminating example of how varying viewpoints can develop. And I am not surprised that there’s a whole plethora of them since family relations are only one of many formative influences on our perception.
So, I guess how I see another person (and their desk 😜) depends on my state of mind. And that state of mind is very uniquely composed by my upbringing, beliefs, experiences, expectations, values, and last but not least, my mood.
That also means, had I been raised by my cousin’s parents, I would probably think my colleague is a hard worker and snowed under with burning tasks. Now isn’t that something?! 😳
Brigitte Schneider
aka Ms. Who Dat?!
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