Seeing it their way

A lack of perspective can cause issues in any relationship, personal or professional, and lead to courses of action that no one envisioned or even wanted.

One of the most famous slogans to an American of my generation comes from Burger King’s famous 1970’s ad campaign, ‘have it your way’.  Indeed, probably no other slogan better sums up the American expectation for customer service.  Imagine for a moment if we were just as inspired by ‘see it their way’. What insights might we gain? How much more tolerant might we be?

So, when dealing with people, do you ever ask yourself: Why is this person reacting this way?

Years ago, I had the pleasure of working with a husband and wife executive coaching team, who were two of the funniest people I’ve ever encountered. They could have turned executive coaching into a successful Vegas show! One of their key lessons was an exercise called ‘the perspective of all perspectives’. The idea is to step outside of your own personal position on any subject and to think about it from the perspective of every other person or entity impacted.

Performing this ‘mental levitation’ forces you to be quiet, to listen, to pay greater attention to the detail and to think differently. In the process, you’ll start to see multiple angles, hidden motivators and different agendas which can help you to better understand someone’s reaction or viewpoint. This insight can help you frame questions to ensure absolute clarity.

My life has now placed me in a situation where the majority of my social and professional interactions are with individuals of different cultural background and upbringing.  ‘Seeing it their way’ is a whole new challenge, but one that ultimately enhances my perspective and effectiveness.

In your future exchanges, take a moment to imagine the perspectives of other people. ‘See it their way’; you may be amazed at what you discover.