Really Get to Know People

Our brains are judgment machines. Within seconds of meeting someone, we've already filed them into convenient mental categories based on minimal evidence. This rapid assessment system—helpful for primitive survival—becomes a liability in our complex professional world.

Instead of approaching each interaction as an opportunity to learn something new, we tend to use it to reinforce our existing assumptions. But people are complex—even those we might not immediately like. You can’t truly understand someone through a handful of professional encounters or brief chats in the hallway. And just as we hope not to be judged too quickly, we should extend that same courtesy to others.

That’s why it’s important to slow down our judgments. Snap conclusions are rarely productive, and they’re certainly not respectful. They tend to reflect surface-level impressions rather than a deeper understanding of who a person really is.

Truly getting to know someone takes time, intention, and a range of shared experiences.

My advice? Don’t rush to conclusions. Be mindful of your assumptions. Approach each professional relationship with patient curiosity. When you find yourself forming quick conclusions, pause and ask: "What might I be missing about this person?" . After all, we often surprise ourselves. The same is true for others.