Perspective is one of a leader’s most powerful tools. Acknowledging and respecting the perspectives of others enables the relationship building that is foundational for achieving goals, developing others, and delivering sustained improvements.
The power of perspective is an intentional discipline, requiring time and commitment to develop. By learning how to see situations through the lenses of others, as well as their own, leaders open the aperture of their own lens, broadening and deepening their understanding of a situation. And the ROI on this investment is a shared understanding that accelerates progress and fosters success.
To strengthen your power of perspective:
- Appreciate your own perspective. Before you can respect and appreciate the perspectives of others, it’s essential to understand your own, and how it was formed. How do you assess and process situations? How have your experiences shaped your perspective? Recognizing how your unique viewpoint has evolved will help you welcome another’s perspective, and avoid judging it if it differs greatly from your own.
- Allow others to lead. As Stephen Covey suggested, highly effective people “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Before seeking to have your perspective understood, strive first to learn more about the viewpoint of others. Asking for their perspective first allows them to share without feeling the pressure to affirm your thinking. Solicit the perspective and takeaways of your team members after significant meetings or events; you’ll gain insight about how they think, and how effectively you’re listening or communicating. Hearing the perspective of others first, enables you to more effectively share your views or knowledge, and gain greater clarity about what is possible.
- Be 100 percent present. Truly grasping the perspective of another requires that you be fully present, giving your undivided attention to the person or persons who are speaking. Your experience and sense of urgency will prompt you to short-circuit the sharing by prematurely expressing your perspective. Learn to resist this urge; listen carefully, and refrain from interrupting, allowing your intuition and awareness to compliment what you are seeing and hearing. Let go of preconceived ideas and be open to what’s happening now.
Perspective sharing expands everyone’s vision and awareness, enabling a shared perspective to emerge that will earn team commitment. To facilitate this process, reveal what you heard, and highlight how one team member’s ideas relate to others, and to your perspective. Then, to validate the emerging shared perspective, connect it with your company’s purpose and values before seeking that commitment.
How could you better leverage your power of perspective to influence your team?
