It Looked Completely Different
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer

It’s been a long day. My eyes feel tired and my head hurts a bit. I am just exhausted from a good day. I’m looking at the wallpaper image on my computer and as I tip back in my chair, the image looks completely different from how I remember it. I have seen it for over three years, but something is different. What was it? Why was it different? What changed to make it so much more vibrant. The blues were deeper and richer. The reds popped. The trees were a vibrant dark green. The spray from the water was a brilliant, refreshing white. Instantly I received a wave of refreshing joy as I looked at the picture on the monitor sitting on my desk. But what had changed? Why was it different? As I tipped back in my chair, the viewing angle changed and the colors were so much more brilliant and vibrant.

As I pondered my new-found angle for viewing this picture of my son Tim driving our old Ski Nautique across Otisco Lake, I realized the value of seeing things from a different angle or perspective. The same picture that I have looked at for three years was so different with just a slight change in the way I viewed it. What else in my life would look different if viewed from a different angle or perspective? Could problems become blessings? Could perceived blessings become problems? Could problem employees become assets to an organization? The answer I came to is yes. Yes, to all three questions.

If a change in our perspective can have this much impact on how we view things, we need to make sure we are constantly looking for multiple perspectives. Often, it takes outside help to see things differently. What we see is our reality and we are comfortable with that reality. Until I was physically exhausted and slumped back in my seat with my hands resting on my head, I didn’t see the vibrant colors. As leaders, we need to intentionally look for the other perspectives. We need to ask for help from those around us and be open to hearing what they have to say.

If you would like some tips on seeing new perspectives, please join Marisa Norcross and me for Episode 121 of The Next Page podcast as we take a deeper dive into this critical topic.

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