I was reminded of how true the statement "perception is reality" is this past weekend.

We scoff at the statement "the customer is always right" when we know they aren't, but we forget to take into consideration how the customer is viewing the circumstance. They wouldn't be up in your sh-t if they thought they were wrong.

What do they see differently than you do?

This past week, in a small affluent town of NE Ohio, a little league football team became the center of news.

Hudson, OH is a small community known for its education, high school SWING marching band and dedicated sport parents.

This little league team which consist of 9, 10, 11 year old players, called the Black Hawks, played in the playoffs in a town much more diverse in its cultural background. Like you see in the stands of many professional sports, the fans of the Black Hawks painted their faces in support of their team.

Black face.

They had yellow beaks to resemble the black hawks they supported, but had they stopped for just one second to think of the other team, they should have realized the opportunity for disaster.

To add insult to a really bad idea, one of the parents stopped and picked up afro wigs for the people in the stands to wear with their beaks and black faces.

The results: a perception of reality that all of Hudson is prejudice, ignorant, insensitive and racial.

The news has been filled with comments from both sides: both thinking their perception is reality.

The true victims here are the kids on both sides who just wanted to play football. All of Hawk players and their adorable cheerleader supporters were asked not to participate in the Homecoming parade on Friday for fear of retaliation.

Who is right?

If just one person had stopped for a minute and put themselves in the other person's shoes, they would have realized that their actions had the potential to be hurtful.

It is the same in our dealings with employees, vendors and customers. It is critical that we take the time to put ourselves in the other person's shoes.

Not just writing at a vocabulary level that makes sense or eliminating jargon and acronyms from our speech, but truly taking the time to understand how WHAT we say and HOW we say it, will be perceived.

When I was working for Cole National we'd frequently receive a notice or coupon in our paycheck envelope. One time the announcement was on pink paper. Did anyone THINK how getting a "pink slip" in with our pay might be received?

Take the time today to really put yourself in the other person's shoes - what will their perception be of the reality?