Every human being, over time, yearns to put his life in order—to have his expectations met, and to use filters to help him know how a situation will resolve itself. Consequently, we subconsciously strive to put new information into existing categories, based on previous patterns and preset concepts that have been formed during our lifetimes. Our preconceptions may be as innocuous as, “I’m going to watch this actor because she always stars in a romantic comedy, and I enjoy that genre,” or, “It’s the last week of the quarter, so we’re going to be pushed for sales this week; what can we bring in from next quarter, what can we expedite out the door?” or even, “My spouse is going to blow his top when I tell him I want to go away for the weekend with my pals.”

In a work context, preconceptions limit our ability to see what “reality” is, and therefore provide meaningful feedback to our organization about what needs to be addressed.

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