My wife and I recently had the occasion to spend two weeks in Southern Florida meeting our newborn grandson, Griffin Patrick. We had a wonderful time, although it took us a while to acclimate ourselves to night-time crying and diaper changing.
The weather was warm and a great invitation to outdoor exercise. We made our way in our stocking feet to the sidewalk and laced up our roller blades. We were ready for our morning skate.
After skating for some time, we neared the end of a city block. We stopped to rest for a few moments. Approaching us on a one-speed bicycle with a front brake and upright handlebars was a gentleman who appeared to be in his 80’s. He slowed down when he saw us, smiled broadly and in a very friendly manner remarked, “It is sure good to see you kids out on your skates.”
I guess perspective is how you see a thing or event in relationship to another thing or event—age, for example. In leadership we often bring different perspectives to our challenges and opportunities. Perspectives of age, gender, race, education and family history easily come to mind.
It is from the perspective of experience that one realizes that there are no perfect employees. So, thinking that organizational problems will be solved when the right employees are hired is not helpful.
I had the opportunity, not long after that trip to Florida, to share this insight with one of our valued supervisors. She was dismayed at the pace of progress among some of her employees. I helped her to understand that her perspective on the situation will greatly influence the outcome—for herself. There will always be a gap between what is wanted or desired, and what actually occurs or is accomplished. But with increasing experience, you gain increasing perspective on the relationship between events and situations. Knowing that keeps you from being discouraged.
As Joyce Carol Oates stated, “Personal perspective . . . is the only kind of history that exists.” It is within the power of each of us as leaders to work on our personal perspective—our history. We can keep our enthusiasm high by expanding our view. Each time we see or hear another person’s experience, their perspective, we’re given an additional way of interpreting a situation. And, unless you’re living in a cave, these opportunities are all around you.
Why, it’s as easy as rolling downhill on skates.