قرارات عمياء تُقصي الكفاءات الوطنية

Dania graduated from a prestigious Saudi university with a degree in English language. When she entered the interview room at a major company, the head of the translation department and some members of the hiring committee formed the impression from the very first moment that she did not seem like a leadership personality. Less than five minutes into the interview, the decision to reject her was made. In less than fourteen months from that interview, Dania became the head of the translation department at a competing leading company and achieved success in her department, managing her employees effectively. So, do you think the rejection decision made by the head of the translation department at the major company was correct?

Perhaps you might think that the answer is that the rejection decision was wrong and hasty, because you later learned that she became the head of the translation department at a competing leading company and achieved success, thus she is a leadership personality. But let’s go back a bit to the moment of the first interview. Imagine that you are the head of the translation department, and a recent graduate citizen comes to you, full of enthusiasm, a love for learning, and a readiness for development, but likely lacks sufficient experience in the nature of the work and good practice in job interviews. Here, it is unreasonable to evaluate her leadership skills or to make a final judgment about her based on just one interview. So, why do some managers make quick judgments about others?

Dr. Alexander Todorov, a well-known professor in social perception, explained that many people form judgments (impressions) about others during the first meeting, and this happens in less than 30 seconds. This shocking and unfair scientific fact—dear reader—might raise some questions, the most important of which is: What is the danger of making preconceived judgments about others based on the first meeting?

We clarify that making quick judgments about others is a natural human behavior that has developed in most of us since childhood, and we mistakenly believed it to be correct, or that we possess a superhuman ability to judge others at first glance. Another point is that making judgments does not require significant mental effort or deep thinking; it only relies on some superficial information stored in our minds and some apparent conclusions in front of us. As for the danger of making preconceived judgments about others based on first impressions in work environments, it primarily: negatively affects the validity of decisions. Among the most notable of these decisions are hiring, promotion, and trials. This can hinder the manager from making objective or even correct decisions. Secondly, it disrupts opportunities for communication with the other party and building trust with them. When judgments are made about someone in the first meeting based on their appearance or way of speaking, other aspects of them, such as the desire for learning and development, adherence to values and positive behaviors, and emotional and social intelligence, are overlooked, all of which are among the most important qualities.

In summary, making quick judgments about others based solely on the interview may exclude very suitable individuals for our organizations. And although it is part of our natural human behavior, that we judge others at first glance, and that we do not want to exert much effort in analyzing the other party before judging them, we must regulate this behavior because it negatively affects our decisions and prevents us from building trust with others. Finally, rushing to judgment may deprive our country of effective leaders; let us allow national talents to show themselves.