Kim’s Message: The Blind Men and the Elephant

Have you heard the parable about the blind men and the elephant? It’s a folk tale that originated out of India, which tells the story about a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who learn and imagine what the elephant is like just by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the animal's body, but only one part, such as the side, or ear, or the tusk. Each of them then describes the animal to the rest of the group, based on their limited experience. As you might imagine, each of their descriptions of the elephant are very different from one another. In some versions, they come to suspect that the other person must be lying and even come to blows. Eventually a sighted boy walks by and tells the group of blind men that each one of them is correct, but only by listening to one another can they truly understand what the elephant looks like.

So what’s the morale of this parable? That humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience? That different perspectives lead to distinct points of view? Or is it that when there is a lack of information, the need for communication, (as well as the ability to respect others and their different perspectives) is paramount if you want to learn the truth? I’ll let you be the judge.

So often, many of us assume that we know what other people in our company, our customers, or even family members, are thinking. Or worse, we mistakenly assume that others think just like we do. While we all know that the best way to learn what someone else is thinking is to ask them, we don’t always take the time to stop, slow down and listen.

Every August we email a satisfaction survey to all CEA members to find out a variety of things, including what they value most and what new services or products they’d like to see CEA offer in 2025. In October, we’ll review and discuss those survey results at our strategic planning retreat and determine CEA’s goals for the future. Here’s a sneak peek at the responses from two of the questions we asked:

Q2. Most Valuable Benefits

The most appreciated benefits include:

• Forms and Toolkits: These were the most frequently mentioned valuable resources.
• Phone and Email Support: Many respondents found the direct support from CEA through phone and email to be crucial.
• CEA University (On-Demand Training): The on-demand training platform was praised as a convenient learning tool.
• Email Alerts and Newsletters: Updates through email and newsletters were highly valued for keeping members informed about HR issues and legal changes.
• Discounts on Events and Coaching: Savings on virtual events and discounts on professional coaching services were frequently appreciated.

Q3: Desired Additional Benefits

Respondents suggested the following:

• More In-Person Events: Many requested in-person workshops, HR conferences, and seminars.
• Executive Coaching and Advanced HR Certification: There was strong interest in executive coaching and advanced certification training.
• More Leadership Development: Several asked for more leadership training and supervisor development programs.
• Additional Forms and Resources: Many respondents requested more workplace forms, specifically translated into Spanish or tailored to their unique needs.
• Networking Opportunities: A few mentioned the desire for more networking events and opportunities to connect with other HR professionals.

If you participated in the CEA Customer Satisfaction Survey—thank you! Whether it’s asking employees to take an engagement survey, asking customers to participate in a satisfaction survey, or asking loved ones how they are doing, we need to continually check in with people who are important to us. If you’d like some assistance with a climate study, an employee engagement survey or teambuilding exercises designed to let your employees’ share what they are thinking, give us a call or email us at ceainfo@employers.org!