Why Perspective is Everything + 3 Ways you can apply it

Opening yourself to diverse perspectives allows you to grow personally and as a leader.

I have been thinking a lot about perspective the last few weeks and how critical this simple concept is to us as individuals, leaders, and members of society.

In its simplest form, a perspective is a way we look at things. Perspectives are formed by our values, experiences, and preferences.

Below we explore how perspective plays a critical role in your life and ways you can open yourself to new perspectives personally, at work, and in your communities.

As individuals, our perspective defines our reality.

Our point of view is what defines how we experience everything. So often, we feel out of control or stuck in the way we see things. The truth is you have the power to choose your perspective and thus the actions that follow. How you choose to look at the situation will drastically impact your experience as well as the result of any actions you take.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you are “dreading” an upcoming executive presentation. You are currently in the perspective that it’s going to be challenging and perhaps you are not up to the task. You decide to over-prepare but it doesn’t make you feel any more confident, in fact, it just makes you feel more nervous.

What if instead, you were able to embrace the perspective that the meeting was going to be fun, easy, and a great opportunity to demonstrate all the great work your team has done? How would this perspective influence your sense of confidence? How would it change the actions you take and thus the impact of your presentation overall?

In my coaching practice, I often work with clients who are stuck in a limiting or negative perspective. We explore other options and they consciously choose a perspective that is more aligned with their values and goals. 

Here’s how you can shift out of a limiting perspective and into a more expansive one:

1. Identify a place where you are stuck in a limiting perspective. Where have you given up? Where do you feel trapped? Where have you stopped choosing?

2. Explore 3-5 other possible perspectives. What is another way you can look at this? How do you want to see it? What would be a more positive view of the situation?

3. Choose the most resonant perspective. Look at the other possible perspectives you came up with and choose the one that honors your values and aligns with who you are becoming.

4. Make a conscious choice about the action you will take next. From the viewpoint of this next perspective, what will you do next?

I want you to be in the driver's seat of your life. Making conscious and resonant decisions versus reacting from a place of feeling stuck. Learning to open your view to alternative perspectives and choose the one you want to embody is the foundation to achieving this.

As leaders, understanding others’ perspectives FORMS the basis of empathy and emotional intelligence. 

In leadership, this concept is foundational to creating inclusion, improving emotional intelligence, and building genuine connections. 

Our job as a leader is to create environments where all teammates feel respected, valued, and heard. The ability to see and appreciate different perspectives increases our own self-awareness and our understanding of others. Both of which lead to greater emotional intelligence.

I will dive more into emotional intelligence in a future blog but today, I want you to think about a leader who was so stuck in their own viewpoint they completely closed themselves off from any other input. Or maybe the leader harshly reacted to a teammate’s mistake or absence based on an assumption of intent or competence rather than taking the time to really listen to what happened. How did or would these situations make you feel?

When leaders choose to cut themselves off from diverse perspectives they lose the possibility of genuine connection and completely sever their ability to motivate and inspire their team. These leaders make others feel like they don’t matter and that their experience is not valued. And who would want to work for a leader like that anyway?

The best leaders lead with empathy and challenge themselves to see diverse perspectives AND invite those voices to the table. How? Here are a few tips:

1.  Take the time to seek to understand. Don’t assume you know all the details. Be open and curious as you engage in conversation to learn more about the situation. Invite others to share how they see it.

2. Challenge your assumptions. Educate yourself where you may not have a strong understanding. Actively look for data that might disprove your perspective.

3. Get to know your team, really. Take the time to get to know and understand the personal stories of your team. How does this understanding change the way you see, manage and inspire them?

In society, being open to differing perspectives allows for important conversation and in turn, critical understanding.

[Image] The validity of multiple perspectives

I love this image as it perfectly illustrates the concept of perspective. You might see the orange square and I might see the blue circle and we would both be right. We are both seeing aspects of the truth. 

Take home message: just because you are right, doesn’t mean the other person is wrong.

In society, I see this as the root cause of fervent disagreement in politics, religion, parenting, etc. Each side shares a common perspective and then condemns the other side for disagreeing with their perspective. When we judge or condemn others for not sharing our perspective we cut off any opportunity for conversation.

Empathy comes from being willing to understand another’s perspective. A willingness to seek to understand instead of judge. Be open to listening more and allow for others to be heard. 

Too often we assume we know a person but rarely do we really take the time to understand their experience and perspective. This video by Cleveland clinic is a beautiful example of why empathy is so important in our interactions with others.

If you could stand in someone else's shoes . . . hear what they hear. See what they see. Feel what they feel. Would you treat them differently?

The first time I saw this video was 7 years ago and it still brings me to tears. SO POWERFUL.

Imagine how different our world would be if we could all pause when we find ourselves judging others for their perspectives and instead bravely leaned into curiosity to learn more. Yes, these conversations can be uncomfortable. And yet, without them, change, resolution, and understanding do not happen.

Take this as your invitation to with diverse perspectives in a new way. Reflect on the following:

• Where am I judging others vs. seeking to understand?

• How is my perspective limiting connection?

• How could this relationship benefit from an open conversation?

• What is more important: maintaining open dialogue or maintaining my comfort?

So there you have it…

The three ways perspective plays a critical role in our lives and how you can open yourself to new ones.

Now tell me, based on what you have learned, what is one thing you will commit to doing differently? Find my social links below and send me a DM! I would love to hear from you.

Want to Learn More?

Looking shift out of a limiting perspective and/or improve empathy or emotional intelligence? Let’s talk! Book a chemistry session below.