Importance of Understanding Others' Perspectives

“What is the distinction between perspective and reality?” asks Steffan Surdek on the forbes.com website. He answers like this: “Perspective is the way individuals see the world. It comes from their personal point of view and is shaped by life experiences, values, their current state of mind, the assumptions they bring into a situation, and a whole lot of other things.

Reality can be different things. We can easily say that my perspective is my reality. There is truth to that statement. When we look at the shared reality of an event, though, the more perspectives you get, the closer to reality you get.

As a leader, do you consider your own perspective as reality?

We live in a professional world that goes fast and where people do not always take the time to step back…Leaders often confuse their perspectives with reality and have difficulty truly understanding the point of view of others…Our perspectives shape how we act or react in a situation. What could be different in your leadership if you chose to be more generous in your interpretations of perspectives? What could be different in your personal leadership if you could better take, seek and coordinate perspectives?”

Source: “Why Understanding Other Perspectives is a Key Leadership Skill,” by Steffan Surdek, forbes.com, November 17, 2016

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