I?m not the kind of guy who visits many craft fairs.? So perhaps that?s my excuse for believing that a stuffed animal was actually a dog.
The dog appeared to be a puppy who was sleeping on a pillow. ?He or she was in the corner of a coworker?s office. ?The puppy looked real although it did seem suspicious that no matter the time of day, ?the animal was always sleeping.
Nevertheless, I assumed that it was a real animal so whenever I would enter my colleague?s office I would speak very softly.? I didn?t want to wake the puppy.
A few months later, I saw the exact same puppy in someone?s home.? I realized that the animal was stuffed and his ?twin? was in my coworker?s office.? A simple question about the puppy, an attempt to pet him or her, or paying more attention would have shattered this illusion right away.? But instead, I believed a stuffed animal was real.
Slightly embarrassed, I learned an important lesson about perception versus reality in the workplace.? I had changed my behavior based on what I thought was true, rather than what was.? In this case only my pride was hurt but sometimes people make very important decisions based on a perception rather than the facts.? That could lead to your? having to clean up a mess left by a stuffed puppy.
