First, watch the video below and count the number of passes the people dressed in white make:
But did you see the gorilla?
In a study done by Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris in 1999, over half of the people shown this video did not notice the gorilla . The study proved that when people are focused carefully on something, they often fail to notice surprising events– even when the event happens right in the open.
Our research using 360-degree feedback surveys with leaders confirms this simple study. When people are focused on something (as they generally are), they often fail to notice surprising situations, other’s perceptions, and problems on their teams. They don’t notice the man in a gorilla suit walking right through the room.
“Although people do still try to rationalize why they missed the gorilla, it’s hard to explain such a failure of awareness without confronting the possibility that we are aware of far less of our world than we think,” Simons told LiveScience. (Yahoo! News)
Once we acknowledge our lack of awareness, we recognize the need for assistance. 360-degree feedback provides self-awareness and helps identify the “invisible gorilla” issues that impede leaders from reaching their full potential.
