May 2022

I was recently speaking with my daughter about a television show she had been watching. I made a comment about one of the character’s actions based on the short segment I had seen. She replied in such a way that told me she was seeing the situation very differently. Of course, she had the context of having seen the whole show, while I was just dropping in for a few minutes.

The point of this anecdote?

Simply that everything we do is shaped by our perspective. Based on what I viewed, the character in question showed behaviors that led me to a certain conclusion. Of course, as with all things, it is rarely that simple that an initial conclusion about someone or something tells the whole story.

Perspective is both blessing and curse. It helps our minds process situations more efficiently, helping us avoid potential danger. If we were attacked by a rhinoceros the last time we came near one, it is likely we will perceive that the same could happen again, if we made the mistake of getting too close a second time.

Only taking one perspective into account has its problems, of course. If we assume we won’t like ice cream, simply because the first time we tried it we didn’t appreciate the flavor we ordered, then we are not only ignoring the fact that there are many different flavors to try, but also that there are different ice cream brands, and that our environment at the time may influence our experiences as well (maybe eating ice cream during a snowstorm was doomed to fail).

Of course, we can’t remove our perspective. It is based on what we experience, and what we learn from those experiences. And, learning, in general, is a good thing. Instead, we should choose to seek out differing perspectives, so that we can place them up against our own, and make more informed choices. The first steps towards widening our thinking comes from recognizing that our thinking is inherently our own, and that everyone has their own defined thinking patterns and practices. This realization alone can help us to deal with gaps in our perspective and biases we may hold. But of course, it is just the first step to incorporating the power of different perspectives.

We also have tovbe willing to actively seek differing thoughts and ideas. While some people will be comfortable bringing their ideas forward, in other cases, we have to state the case that varied thinking is not just desired, but needed. By openly and honestly sharing that this is a necessity to help us learn and grow, we make safe spaces for others to share the ways in which their thinking is developing.

We also have to be willing to recognize that perspectives are shaped by experiences, and are not, by themselves, truth. That means that when we hear perspectives that we don’t agree with, it doesn’t mean that our perspective is wrong (or right, for that matter). It simply means that our experiences are significantly different enough to provide variability in how we approach a given situation.

In short, this means that while perspectives can be owned by a given person, truth must be owned by all. Data and evidence are very different than belief and perspective, and to address our differences and both implicit and explicit biases, we have to recognize that a perspective never makes you right.

It only ever makes you, you.

This realization can help us respect our own gaps in thinking and respect the thinking of others. And, in reality, respect of ourselves, and of others, is what is most needed to build competent and confident leaders for tomorrow.