Don't judge a book by its cover

There's an old saying that you should not judge a book by its cover.  As a matter of fact, it's so old that something very similar to it was first uttered by the ancient Roman, Juvenal, somewhere around the first or second century AD ("Never have faith in the front").  The phrase, as it usually written or stated, was first used in a book by the author, George Eliot (who was really Mary Anne Evans - she used "George Eliot" as a pen name because she didn't want to be stereotyped or discriminated against as a female) in the novel, The Mill on the Floss when describing Daniel Defoe's novel, The History of the Devil (Ouch! In this case, Eliot was being literal, not metaphorical).  Regardless of who first used it, the phrase basically means that you shouldn't judge a person's worth or character by outward appearances.

You should never judge a book by its cover - i.e., you should never judge a person by his or her outward appearance.  The meaning is clear, but the practice is not as easy.  I refer you to the story of the singer Susan Boyle.  Susan Boyle has an absolutely beautiful voice.  She first came to prominence when she sang the song, "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical Les Misérables on the hit show, "Britain's Got Talent" on April 11, 2009.  Just watch the video.  The three judges, as well as the audience, appear to be making fun of her appearance and her quirky personality!  But when she starts singing, their response is priceless.  After she receives a standing ovation by everyone, including the three judges, she simply walks off the stage.  They call her back and tell her that she has one of the most beautiful voices they've ever heard (and they apologize for pre-judging her).  She went on to finish second place in the contest, but has become incredibly successful as a singer (she has even sang for the Queen of England).  During an interview with the Washington Post, Boyle said this about her experience:

"Modern society is too quick to judge people on their appearances. ... There is not much you can do about it; it is the way they think; it is the way they are. But maybe this could teach them a lesson, or set an example."

I had the opportunity to learn this lesson again in a recent visit to the Cincinnati Police Academy.  Two of the officers there that day were talking about a video they show recruits on the first day - they use it as a lesson to "not judge a book by its cover."  The event happened on February 2, 1998 in an area of downtown Cincinnati known as Over-the-Rhine.  Officer Katie Conway had just finished a "prison run" (taking an individual downtown to the city jail for processing) and had stopped at a traffic light, when a mentally unstable man walked by, hit her with a "boom box" radio, pulled out a gun, and shot her four times in the hip and legs.  She was paralyzed and couldn't feel anything below her waist.  The man shoved her to the side, got in the car, and started driving away at high-speed.  Officer Conway was on the radio calling for help.  She remembered her training (she had only graduated from the Police Academy about 1 year earlier), pulled out her service revolver, and shot the man in the head twice.  In the aftermath of the event, the investigation at the scene only found one bullet hole in the man's head, so the investigating officers first thought that Officer Conway had missed once - the autopsy subsequently showed two bullets in the man's head.  Officer Conway had shot the man twice in the exact same location - two shots, one hole. 

Officer Conway survived.  If you listen to the police radio recording (for more details, see the local news story), it's amazing how calm she remained during the entire incident.  The two officers that I met at the Police Academy were Police Sergeants at the time - both in the same precinct where Officer Conway had worked.  They said that they underestimated how effective she could be as a police officer, because of her gender and her small stature ("She was always just Katie").  They learned that day that incredible strength can come in even small packages.  Never judge a book by its cover.

I am sure that leaders often fall into the same trap that the three judges and audience at "Britain's Got Talent" and the two officers at the Cincinnati Police Academy fall into - it's likely a very common occurrence.  The lesson for us, as leaders, is simply not to fall into that trap.  Don't judge a book by its cover.  It's just that simple.