Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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May 27, 2009

Got a Halo or Horns? First Minutes Last

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:29 am

Showing Up for the First Test


When I was in college, I was struck with massive migraine on the day of an important class final. As I picked up my pen, the words on the page moved before my eyes as I tried to write. I brought this to the attention of the professor, who moved me into his office for the “lovely” experience.

I have to say I must have done dismally — at least not stellar — on that written exam. But I still Aced the class.

The most important test in that class was the first one, not the final. That was when the professor decided whether I was intelligent, whether I was a serious student, invested in learning. That first test left an indelible impression about who I am.

From that day forward, I always studied hardest for the first test in every class.

Halo or Horns

It’s called the “halo effect.” It’s a cognitive bias we all have toward what we decide from the start. Interviewers and clients, customers, … all of us … decide almost immediately from an initial trait or perception whether something is “good” or “bad.”
Research abounds on the topic … Wikipedia describes it well.

Physically attractive people are perceived to have an array of attractive qualities.

A bracelet in a Tiffany catalogue is perceived as more valuable than one in craft shop.

We make those assumptions in seconds on as little as a single trait generalized over an entire subject area. It makes sense in sorting the world on a global scale, but is error ridden in the specific instance.

The problem is that one we decide, we support our instant diagnosis by interpretting information in favor of our bias. We even work toward proving the premise. We’ll give the attractive person benefit for great qualities we’ve never seen or experienced. We’ll ask the “less impressive” interview candidate harder questions and be more critical of the answers. We’ll underscore the reasons that a craft jeweler can’t produce Tiffany quality.

If we love you, your faux pas was an accident. If we don’t, it was surely evil intent.

According to the research, even when we know that we’re biased by our first impressions and perceptions, we still can’t stop our halo effect response. It shows up in

And Byron Kalies of training zone made a pointed out a fundamental flaw in this characteristic of human perception. .

It seems sensible and strikes a chord with us because we’ve all done it. We’ve all made an instant decision and found out it was true in the face of all the evidence. However, I wonder how often we’ve made an instant decision and found it to be wrong? I guess we don’t remember those occasions. There’s a phrase for this in psychological jargon – ‘bottom drawer evidence’. This concerns the mass of evidence gathered that doesn’t fit the theory and is conveniently hidden in the bottom drawer.

It takes serious energy and time to reverse thinking like that. Makes more sense to get the first minutes right. Invest, relate, and establish credibility that lasts.

Halo or horns. No person or product is all good or all bad. Yet the product lesson is clear. The “halo effect” makes fiercely loyal fans who evangelize and argue for the validity of their perceptions.

Got a good example of the halo effect in your life?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Filed under Customer Think, Marketing, Successful Blog | 12 Comments »




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12 Comments to “Got a Halo or Horns? First Minutes Last”

  1. May 27th, 2009 at 8:59 am
    Delaney said

    Wish all my students knew this (first exam the most important). I am much more likely to be understanding about a missed class or homework IF I believe you are a good student (read that as “serious”)

  2. May 27th, 2009 at 9:25 am
    Lori Hoeck said

    You explained this concept so well! And it’s so true: we get in our ruts, put on our blinders, and think nothing of it. Fortunately the wave of authenticity and transparency seems to be changing this up a bit.

    One of the most extreme cases of the halo/horns effect I’ve seen recently is the amazingly vocal reaction to Sarah Palin. No one I knew had met the woman, but everyone was sure they knew her inside and out. Interesting how reflexive this effect can be.

  3. May 27th, 2009 at 9:52 am
    Michael Lindsay said

    Wow, thanks for a great explanation of a difficult subject. We have all experienced it. I’m glad to know it actually has a name! I think sometimes, just knowing how our human brains work will help us to overcome some of out shortcomings. Your article will definitely help us to realize what we are up against. Thanks again!

  4. May 27th, 2009 at 10:58 am
    Barb Hartsook said

    Oh yeah… I do that. It’s part of what I do that’s good though — I watch people and make up little stories about their lives. I look for something good, many times in spite of what I see.

    But I’m guilty of passing over someone “not so interesting” in terms of visual and auditory data.

    Shame on me.

    The most convicting time was last year sometime. We have upbeat music in our church, with instruments on stage, and vocal leaders with mics to carry the lead when we don’t know the songs well. People sing with their hearts, though — they’re not singing to me, even if they’re sitting behind me. They’re singing their praises and their worship.

    One morning my ears were accosted. Oh no, I thought — can he not HEAR that he’s not singing the same thing as the rest of us? He was loud. Out of sync. Off-key. And it wasn’t pretty. Couldn’t he just whisper or something?

    As the service ended, and I turned to leave, I saw him. Smiling with radiance for any and all who would say hello. And plenty of people did — including hugs. He was physically impaired. Loving and well-loved.

    He was authentic. And I was just… well, not worth a whole lot in that hour.

    I’m writing this through tears even now when I think how incredibly mean I was. Not to him, but then after all, I was the loser, not him.

    I love your story about the test. The truth is so big sometimes, it takes a little story like that to tell it. I failed my test that day in church — thankfully I’m the only one who knew that.

    What a great post, Liz. Thank you!
    Barb

  5. May 27th, 2009 at 11:05 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Delaney!
    It’s good to hear it from the professor’s side of the equation. I’ve found that I’ve never lost ground by taking a first meeting too seriously or by doing too much homework.

    That sort of investment is an investment in ourselves and the relationship at once.

  6. May 27th, 2009 at 11:07 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Lori!
    Yeah, Sara Palin is a great example of the effect. Most media figures are. We think we know them, but we only know one dimension that’s been focused on.

  7. May 27th, 2009 at 11:10 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Barb!
    It’s human to need to find a way to make sense of what’s going on around us. We look for things that fit our picture of how the world should be … sometimes what we encounter is a radical shift.

    Then we grow.

    An amazing story you gave us. Thank you deeply.

  8. May 27th, 2009 at 11:13 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Michael,
    When we’re caught behind either — halo or horns — people can’t really see us. They see their image. We have to work harder to reveal our “whole” self. The connection and relationships take longer.

    It’s why being visibly authentic is strong stuff.

    It’s a concept I’ll be writing more about. I’m exploring in many ways with my clients and their products too.

  9. May 27th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
    --Deb said

    Yes! First impressions are so important–on both sides. That old saw about never getting a second chance to make a first impression is so true. How do people not understand how important it is?

    I do love the idea of working hardest for the first test, like working hardest on your first day at a new job–because you want your boss to give you that benefit of the doubt, too!

  10. May 27th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Deb,
    I love the way that you said that like working hardest on your first day at a new job–because you want your boss to give you that benefit of the doubt, too!

    I think it might also be giving your bost your best on the first day to show that you are giving the benefit of the doubt too. :) heh heh

  11. May 30th, 2009 at 4:26 am
    MCE Round Table: Terrible Things We Do to Our Customers and Colleagues | Maximum Customer Experience Blog said

    [...] I’m aware of it, I work hard against it, but oof! I know it still happens to me. Read Got a Halo or Horns? First Minutes Last from Liz Strauss at Successful [...]

  12. August 4th, 2009 at 4:35 am
    Context and Our View of Self and Others « Management Matters said

    [...] Got a Halo or Horns? First Minutes Last [...]

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