Okay, let me tell you about this one time. We were setting up for a big company event, like one of those team-building things out in a rented space. Lots of manual work, you know, moving tables, hanging banners, setting up displays.
First Impressions
So, there was this new guy on the team, let’s call him Mark. Mark was really tall. Like, head-and-shoulders above most of us. First thing everyone thought, myself included, was “Great! He can reach all the high stuff. He’ll be super helpful with lifting the heavy boxes.” You just automatically make these assumptions, right? Tall equals strong, tall equals good reach. Seems logical.
The Reality Check
We got started, and yeah, he could reach the high spots for hanging banners, no problem there. But when it came to moving some of the bulkier equipment, it wasn’t quite what we expected. It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing, not at all. He tried hard. But coordination seemed a bit off sometimes, maybe because things were designed for average height people? And strength-wise, he wasn’t the powerhouse we’d assumed. I remember specifically struggling with a big display stand, thinking he’d just hoist it up. But actually, it was Sarah, who’s pretty average height but does regular workouts, who figured out the leverage and got it moved easier.
Here’s what I noticed:
- Assumptions are easy: We totally judged his abilities based purely on his height.
- Reach isn’t everything: Sure, he could touch the ceiling, but navigating tight corners with bulky stuff was awkward for him.
- Strength is different: Being tall doesn’t automatically mean you’re proportionally stronger, especially for functional stuff like lifting odd shapes. I’ve read somewhere that shorter folks might actually have an edge pound-for-pound sometimes. Seemed true that day.
What I Took Away
It really made me think about how we put people in boxes. We see one obvious trait, like height, and build a whole profile around it. Mark was a great guy, super smart with the tech setup later on, but we initially just saw him as “the tall guy” who’d handle the physical stuff. It was a good reminder, honestly. You gotta see what people actually do and what they’re good at, not just what you think they should be good at based on how they look. We finished the setup just fine, working together, using everyone’s actual strengths. But that initial assumption stuck with me. Just goes to show, you never really know.
