A client/friend sent me these two pictures recently. The one below is of the desk of his former assistant, who - while charming and enthusiastic - was disorganized and reactive. He found it difficult to get this assistant to anticipate his needs and the needs of the business, and lamented to me on a number of occasions that this person really had a hard time seeing and understanding the larger implications of her actions (or lack of action).
This next picture is the same desk, now occupied by his new assistant. He's not having any of the problems with this person that he had with the previous occupant.
Are you surprised?
I'm not. I've fairly often found that the environment people create around them tends to be a pretty accurate reflection of their inner state. Maybe we should make photos of someone's desk a standard part of job interviews...
