# Managing Illusions By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-01-29 Working provides interesting experiences that are quickly forgotten, especially when one becomes a manager. If one thinks back to being a worker, there is undoubtedly a time when one pretended to be busy when a manager was around. One didn’t want a lecture or to be assigned additional work, so one looked busy trying to go unnoticed by management. Similarly, one might have an experience where the manager gives feedback. In this case, the individual likely feigns attention while the feedback is given and disregards it after the manager leaves. Lastly, one has probably been given a task by a manager and then didn’t do it or did it at a low level of quality. In short, if one has worked, one has likely had the opportunity to mislead and ignore managers. What is fascinating is that almost all managers were workers at one time, and almost all workers have had this experience. And yet, when people become managers, many are convinced that this isn’t how workers are responding to them. Why? Part of it might be the fundamental attribution error in which one inflates one’s success due to the inherent quality and discounts the success of others as being due to chance. Another aspect is that people likely convince themselves that they are too busy to reflect so they don’t have to confront the issue. Whatever the reason, if one is a manager, one primarily manages illusions. #### Related Items [[Management]] [[Work]] [[Illusions]] [[Reflection]]