Driving out of my subdivision yesterday morning I noticed a pair of garage sale signs flanking an intersection. What really caught my eye was the happy pink balloons floating above each of the signs, waving in the breeze. Pink balloons. My mind instantly pictured a garage sale selling lots of baby stuff. In particular, little girl baby stuff. Lace, ruffles, pastel colors.
Stop! Where is that coming from?
All my years in the advertising business (where you learn the power that colors have in our culture and the meanings attached to them) and the diversity training I've had kicked in and I realized what a cultural assumption I was making. Perhaps the pink balloons were simply left over from something else and in reality the garage sale featured lots of used yard equipment and men's work clothes. Based on my cultural conditioning about the color pink I had immediately assumed to be aware of something that I had no way of knowing.
How many times do we assume we know someone by the car they drive? The clothes they wear? The schools they attended? The color of their skin? The way they speak? The job they have?
We create "stories" for people and situations all the time and that's fine because stories are what make us human. But, it's also important to recognize that its only a story in our mind and may have nothing to do with the reality or story that the other person is living. It's just our pink balloons.
Now every time I meet someone and imagine that I know something about them I'll remember those pink balloons, waving in the morning breeze.
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About Me
- Jill Boullion
- Houston, TX, United States
- I've led a lot and followed plenty of times, too. All these experiences have given me some interesting perspective into what makes someone a leader worth following. And what constitutes ethical leadership? We usually can smell it when's it not, so let's find the examples in the world of people leading in an ethical and authentic way! My passion is community leadership but I think the lessons of leadership transcend place and specifics. I'd love to hear what you think about leadership!
Pink balloons huh? Now everytime I catch myself pre- judging someone or some situation I am going to have these pink balloons popping up to remind me to keep my mind open, to listen and to learn.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jill!