Curious Thought – Framing

In administration, we have a term called framing. It refers to the way we present something in order to shape a particular perspective for someone. This concept is now more prevalent in our lives than before, largely due to social media. You might have come across an image online of an apple placed in front of a mirror. In the mirror, the apple looks pristine and flawless, while we can see a huge bite taken out of its backside. The image in the mirror has been framed in such a way that it conceals the apple’s flaws. Although this is more prevalent in our lives than ever, it is by no means a new concept.

Newspapers often present events in a particular way so you view them as exciting. Famous actors have always maintained a carefully crafted image while in the limelight. Historical figures are often framed differently depending on who is telling their stories. What we tend to overlook is that we also engage in framing when acknowledging someone’s accomplishments or promoting the achievements of an organization. We forget that when we hear about the achievements of a particular individual, we are only seeing their highlight real. The trials, mishaps, and doubts they went through aren’t on display.

Unfortunately, in today’s world, this reality often leads to anxiety. People see images of seemingly flawless individuals and wonder why they don’t measure up. They observe pictures of perfect families enjoying vacations and question why their own relationships seem so challenging. We witness all the amazing things accomplished by successful business people and feel that our own achievements pale in comparison. We forget these things have all been framed to showcase their best aspects. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, it is a mistake to use these picture-perfect scenarios as benchmarks for judging our own lives.

Take a minute to consider this: if you took your best accomplishments and put them into a reel, what sort of story could you tell? How wonderful would your life appear with all the blemishes, failings, and shortcomings hidden behind the picture frame? For most of us, this is not the reel we see. We are much more inclined to focus on our shortcomings, failures, and missed opportunities. When judging our own merit, It seems that we often compare our own lowlight reel to someone else’s highlight. Clearly, this is an unfair basis for comparison.

In organizations, we sometimes engage in this behavior as well, albeit in a less personal context. We might say things like, “Well, that’s all fine and dandy for that school with all the resources and support from the community.” We make excuses by suggesting, “Sure, they got some outstanding results but their students are different from ours.” In reality, we fail to consider the times when that school struggled to obtain resources and community support. We overlook the various teaching techniques the teachers employed to achieve those fantastic results. What we are presented with is the final product. At the end of the day, the people who accomplish great things are just that: people – like you and me.

Use framing to your advantage. Remember all the things you have accomplished and achieved when facing a difficult task. Demystify the accomplishments of others by realizing they experienced mishaps on their own journey. Recognize that organizations receiving accolades also face criticism for their shortcomings. Every journey begins from a seemingly small starting point, and it may seem insignificant when compared to someone else’s ending point. Remember, big things happen every day, often from small beginnings.