Get Out Of Your Own Way Ch: 37

Study Notes

Typecasting can occur when an individual is quickly judged based on their physical traits and behavior, leading to firm judgments within seconds of meeting.
This tendency is exacerbated by demanding jobs, modern life, and the constant flow of information, causing humans to live in permanent fight-or-flight survival mode.
Typecasting can also occur when personal qualities of people from the past are unconsciously transferred onto others, matching new people with familiar patterns instead of judging them in their own right.

Harris, an executive vice president, misjudged his assistant Karen, assuming she was "lazy", "unmotivated", and "flaking out" due to her changed behavior after a month of excellent work.
Karen was actually dealing with her three-year-old son's diagnosis with leukemia, but didn't feel safe to tell Harris due to his busy and grumpy demeanor.
Harris's misjudgment stemmed from his past experiences with other assistants and his own family dynamics, including his younger brother's struggle with drugs.

Typecasting can lead to quick-tempered and anxious behavior, preventing clear and objective decision-making.
It can cause people to make decisions based on emotion rather than fact, eliminating the possibility of doing their best work.
Typecasting can also lead to a cycle of reinforcing bad behavior, as seen in the case of Harris and Karen, where their images of each other reinforced their negative actions.

To succeed, it's essential to avoid jumping to conclusions and instead, take the time to understand the situation and people involved.
In moments of common crisis, people tend to throw away their typecasts and come together to help one another survive and recover.

Typecasting can occur when an individual is quickly judged based on their physical traits and behavior, leading to firm judgments within seconds of meeting.
This tendency is exacerbated by demanding jobs, modern life, and the constant flow of information, causing humans to live in permanent fight-or-flight survival mode.
Typecasting can also occur when personal qualities of people from the past are unconsciously transferred onto others, matching new people with familiar patterns instead of judging them in their own right.

Harris, an executive vice president, misjudged his assistant Karen, assuming she was "lazy", "unmotivated", and "flaking out" due to her changed behavior after a month of excellent work.
Karen was actually dealing with her three-year-old son's diagnosis with leukemia, but didn't feel safe to tell Harris due to his busy and grumpy demeanor.
Harris's misjudgment stemmed from his past experiences with other assistants and his own family dynamics, including his younger brother's struggle with drugs.

Typecasting can lead to quick-tempered and anxious behavior, preventing clear and objective decision-making.
It can cause people to make decisions based on emotion rather than fact, eliminating the possibility of doing their best work.
Typecasting can also lead to a cycle of reinforcing bad behavior, as seen in the case of Harris and Karen, where their images of each other reinforced their negative actions.

To succeed, it's essential to avoid jumping to conclusions and instead, take the time to understand the situation and people involved.
In moments of common crisis, people tend to throw away their typecasts and come together to help one another survive and recover.