The dictionary describes

Perspective: the ability to see it, the appearance of objects buildings relative to each other.

Perception: awareness or consciousness, view.

Values as: moral principles and beliefs

Would it not be great if we could all understand one another immediately and understand the subject matter as it was unfolded before us . Imagine being able to explain a concept or idea or an object that you had seen and the person or people would understand immediately. None of this stuff about neurolinguistics or second guessing another’s comprehension of the message or story presented. How much time would we save in our lives and in business. Training time would be shortened for a start.

No more mistakes, no errors, no wastage. We can save money and be more productive. Are we getting in to the realms of Artificial Intelligence?. That’s not the purpose of this piece.

However there are some aspects, some perspectives of our lives that we cannot put words to and cannot explain simply even with mathematics. We can not see it ,We can not touch it. But we know it exists. Aspects like feelings, intuition, love, hate, beauty, and just those things that can’t be explained. They cannot be measured or calculated out with mathematics and Newtonian laws of physics. So are we considering a 4th dimension to our existence that we should consider?

Perspective, perceptions are delivered within a framework of known parameters . However they are both very different to one another yet closely aligned.

Example:. We view a car. We both agree that it is a certain make and model. So it is as we see it as we look at it. That is our perspective within the framework of the subject of a motor car. However my perception may be completely different to your own. Thus it’s the values that I place on that car. So it’s how I look at the car. Example: you could view the car side on and you could say that it is bland like a brick. However because I have gone around the car and viewed the car from a different perspective, my perceptions will be different as maybe around the front and back of the car it had some real unusual styling. If I like the styling, my personal values define this car as attractive. My perceptions are neutral as they are neither right or wrong.

We tend to get tied up in arguments about the perceptions of one another rather than focusing on the subject matter in front of us. These perceptions relate to our values and we take ownership of our values as they are part of our belief system that controls our thinking.

It’s our perceptions of the world around us that determines our understanding of the risks that are put in front of us. It’s our perspective that determines if we believe the risk is worthy of consideration. It’s our values that provide the framework in which our perceptions operate.

So the framework of our values that contains such issues as; care for others , care for the environment , care for the business, and more importantly our own standards of what is right and wrong in our daily lives, and our existence within the business community.

We often have discussions with clients on subjects of Health and Safety and compliance. We talk about preventing losses before they occur rather than being dependent upon the financial back stop of the insurance industry. We talk about not only the risks up front which we all recognize. (Our perspectives) We also talk about the unknown risks. (Our perceptions) which may be completely different to your own. Our perspective is based upon what we perceive as important or should be important to business owners. ‘saving money and also caring for the people in our business “ Is this right or wrong?

What we often find is the many business owners only want to deal with the risks that are immediately in front of them. This is the framework which is relatively easy to understand and put a value on in regards to premiums.

There is a growing number of business owners and CEOs of larger organizations who are starting to consider the risks that are unknown or not discovered “yet”.

They are usually covered over with some other more important issue. (Example. We know that there are electrons however we can’t see them because they are so small. They do exist though) The unknown risks do exist just like the electrons. They are the foundation of many of the major losses incidents that occur. It’s just that no one took the time to understand the underlying factors. There was no frame work to work within and from.

So let us go back to the start of this piece. It is how we communicate the issue to business owners that matters. How we can describe our perception of risk within the work place and how it affects your business and the people in the business?

The stumbling point is the framework in which it is presented and the values of the business owner being aligned to our own.

Do you as a business owner want to discover and understand the unknown risks in your business? We can guide you to prevent the loss from occurring in the first place. Our perception is that really this is a “no brainer” for business owners or those in managerial roles.

What savings in premiums and costs of downtime due to an accident and wastage of materials would have on your profit and loss account? Imagine you could achieve these savings, increase your productivity, increase your profitability and more importantly increase your reputation to your customers and clients and suppliers as being the organization to deal with. Your perception of risk has become 4 dimensional and not 3 dimensional.

If you want to take the time to understand the risks in your business to make a difference to your year end results give us a call at RiteTrack, 027 289 3162. And you don’t have to sack your staff or cut costs or buy new assets or resources or software.