Iceberg Diversity

What we see in others is influenced by what we expect to see and what they reveal.  However, we miss so many elements of who others actually are unless we delve deeper than the persona initially revealed to all encountered.

A small percentage of who we actually are is readily revealed to all those we meet.  Thus, like an iceberg, our true depth, breadth and potential impact is hidden.

Right Size

I wear a small or medium t-shirt, but I would never think of advertising the size I wear. This week, in the airport, I saw a small man sporting a very tight-fitting t-shirt with an XL label plastered across the front. My immediate thought was that he was trying to appear larger than real life. I don't know if he was wearing an ill-fitting child's XL or an adult t-shirt with an actual size tag that didn't match the shirt's front slogan.   Regardless of our size, we all look best in clothes that are actually the right size.  And when we try to appear larger (or smaller) than we are, we miss the chance to be right sized.

Appearances

Julia and I just got manicures and pedicures.  We both had the same reaction to two women who came in after us.  They were wearing their team's NFL jerseys.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that both were articulate professionals with highly responsible careers.  It made no difference in this setting what our expectations were, but it was a two-fold reminder:

• dress for the role you have or aspire to have
• don't let initial assumptions based upon appearance preclude learning what an individual has to offer