I am a Seattle criminal lawyer. That probably tells you several things about me. That probably allows you to make several snap judgments about me. It allows you some information to stereotype me. But if you got to know me, would those stereotypes hold true? Probably not.
And this is an important lesson to remember no matter what you are doing.
Whatever your job is, whether a criminal attorney or a car salesman or a nurse, you are in some ways selling yourself to people, working with different people, and trying to form a connection with people. And some people find it convenient to size people up, to decide who they are and what they are about, and how to approach them, based on the stereotypes that are associated with that person or the group they are associated with.
So, whenever I meet a new person, a potential client, a prosecutor, a witness, or a jury panel, I stick to one and hard rule about stereotypes that always hold true – I don’t use them. Period.
Why don’t I use them? There’s simply too much of a chance that this one person in the whole world doesn’t live up to the stereotype. Think about all of the people you know and the different layers that make them up. So too goes every person that you meet, even if you meet them only for a moment. To stereotype that person would prevent you from making a connection that you would probably be able to make otherwise.
For example, as a criminal attorney in Seattle, it may seem logical to never want anyone on my jury that is wealthy and has never been in trouble. Chances are they would not be able to empathize with my client, they are Republican, they are tough on crime, and they love the cops. But a couple of questions might reveal otherwise, and to simply dismiss that person would be lazy.
So goes with any other person you ever meet.
Stereotypes might hold true for certain people. But in love, in friendship, and in work, you can’t take the risk that the stereotype doesn’t hold true. So let people show you who they are. Try not to rush to judgment.
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