When I worked in the TV industry, we used to test TV pilots (that is, the first episode of an aspiring television series) on focus group audiences to see what they thought of them. This assessment process would be one of the factors used in determining whether a show would make it onto the air. So the testing company would recruit random samples of prospective audience members, composed of different demographic groups, to rate the show and provide their feedback.
One of the most common ways of doing this was by using an electronic measuring system in which, while watching the episode, each audience member would hold in their hands a dial similar to the one pictured above. As the show went on, if the focus group member liked what they were watching—that is, they were enjoying the situation, or the character, or found the scene entertaining—they would turn the knob on their dial clockwise, to the right, into the Green Zone, which indicated a positive score ranging from 5 to 10, depending on how far they turned it. And if or when they were not enjoying what they were watching, they would turn their dial counterclockwise, to the left, into the Red Zone, from 5 down to 1.
So, what does this have to do with…well…anything?
Well, if you think about it, we do this all the time—not just when in a focus group, but in everyday life!
We are all carrying around these metaphorical, visual measuring instruments in our heads—for short, let’s just call it a “Viz-o-meter.” When we are about to encounter any situation, or person, we start with an unconscious assumption, expectation, or bias, with our dial starting out either in the Red (1-5) Zone, the Green (6-10) Zone, or the Neutral Zone (5.5).
For example: “This meeting is going to be a really boring waste of my time” [2]…or, “I can’t wait to watch this speaker’s presentation!” [9].
Or, let’s say we’re interviewing a job candidate, or you’re meeting someone for the first time (for example, on a date). Based on what you know going in (for example, from their résumé, or from their LinkedIn or Facebook profile), you already have certain preconceptions. Though we may want to think that we don’t—that we are going in neutral and unbiased with no expectations of any kind—as humans, that is very rarely, if ever, the case. Of course, we don’t want to be biased, but unconscious or not, none of us starts with a blank slate.
But, regardless of our starting point on the Viz-o-meter, as soon as we meet the person, it is human nature to mentally turn our dial clockwise, in a positive direction to the right, somewhere into the Green Zone—or counterclockwise into the Red Zone. Again, this is just human nature based on our past experiences and expectations. However—and this is one of the most valuable benefits of this metaphorical model—being consciously aware that we are doing this will help us overcome our biases from a diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DIB) perspective. This will help us to realize that—whatever the context—just because a person doesn’t “look” like we envisioned doesn’t mean that they cannot do the job.
As the conversation goes on, with each positive thing the person says, and with every positive interaction, we mentally turn our Viz-o-meter to the right, while thinking to ourselves, “Wow, this person is really smart,” or “That is an excellent point,” or “That was really funny,” or “I really like this person!”
Similarly, with each thing a person says or does that reflects negatively on them—from our entirely subjective perspective—we may turn our mental dial to the left, thinking: “That was not a great response to that interview question. I’m not sure if this person has the experience we need for this role”; or in a dating situation, “Based on that comment, I’m not sure if this person is the one for me.”
The value and the power of the Viz-o-meter is that we are already doing this anyway, with every interaction and every experience. So, having this visual metaphor in your head will now make you consciously aware of the fact that you are constantly analyzing, assessing, and (in some way) rating each and every person, thing, situation, interaction, and experience you encounter. It’s like when you attend a workshop and they ask you afterwards to fill out a feedback evaluation questionnaire to rate the workshop and provide your comments—only this is an ongoing, never-ending “Life Evaluation” model that we are all always carrying around in our heads.
Think about it: As you were reading this chapter—in fact, as you’ve been reading this entire book—you’ve been evaluating it in your mind. You’ve been mentally turning your Viz-o-meter dial to the right towards the Green Zone during the parts you liked (“This is a really interesting and useful model,” or “I like this story—I’ll give it a 9!”) and, possibly (though I hope not too often!), you may have turned your dial to the left into the Red Zone while reading something that may not have resonated with you. And that’s OK! Not everything is for everyone, and nothing is going to be a “10” for all every time.
For example, I once delivered a presentation skills workshop where one of the post-course evaluation questions was, “Was the pace of this workshop too fast, too slow, or just right?” With twelve participants in the workshop, what do you think happened? Four people said “too fast,” four said “too slow,” and four said “just right.” So, what do you do with that? All you can do is realize that everything is subjective, and people experience things through their own “lens” based on who they are and what they want and need at any particular time.
But, again, the key takeaway here is that every single one of us is constantly mentally evaluating everything—even if you’re just standing at a fruit stand rating each bunch of bananas (“These are too ripe” [2], “these are not ripe enough yet” [5], “these are perfect!” [10]).
With this visual mental model and metaphor of the Viz-o-meter in mind, you can now be more consciously aware of when you are doing…so as to make better, more informed, more conscious, and less biased decisions.
And knowing, now, that at the same time everyone is also evaluating us on their Viz-o-meter, we can think to ourselves, in any situation: “What can I do to get this person to dial it up to 11?”
In Review
The Big Lesson: In leadership and in life, we are constantly evaluating everyone and everything. By using the Viz-o-meter as a mental model, you can be more consciously aware of when you are doing it and make the necessary adjustments to make better and more informed, and less biased, evaluations.
The Big Question: How can you use the Viz-o-meter concept to be more effective?
Your Insight:
Your Action: