The Power of the Collective Perspective
It’s a challenge to surrender the conviction that our own perspective is entirely correct, but let’s explore the benefits of combining the perspectives of all members of the team.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. — Marcus Aurelius
Each of us is born with a unique set of gifts and talents. We learn from our good and bad decisions as we blaze our trail through the jungle of life. We begin to develop feelings for what is right and wrong. This is a big part of who we are becoming as we journey on our unique path. Our challenge is that the path we have been on is a mere sliver of life’s opportunities for experiences. Yet once we are far enough down the path, we feel we have answers; we have things figured out. The reality is we do not have answers—we only have our perspective.
The best solutions to the challenges an organization faces are often found in valuing the meshing and merging of the collective perspectives of team members. Each of us possesses our unique perspective, and together, with trust and respect, we can create the best answer possible. And we still can be wrong! However, we have achieved our responsibility to be the best we can be, and if wrong, we learn together for better decision-making in the future.
We like to use the imagery of the moon, which has a light side and a dark side. How many of us have argued because we don’t see the other side of the moon? And when under pressure we only see a 90-degree wedge of the challenge!
A surgeon/client on perspective
“We are surgeons, and we are used to making decisions by ourselves and getting the credit for our success. The FS/A culture process has taught us to think of others more and think in our team’s best interest for the benefit of our patients.
“I was surprised at the impact of giving power to the team. Instead of saying, ‘Here’s the solution,’ we let the team develop a solution. It’s like a magical thing. It works much better than my telling them, even if it is the same solution, and sometimes it’s better than mine.
“It’s hard. We try to create this feeling that everyone is equal when contributing to the team. Even though the contribution varies, everyone plays a role in our success. There’s still a hierarchy, but it works. People work well together for the good of everybody.”
Thinking about what is best for the team helps us with how we utilize our perspective. And humility once again plays a large role in our ability to live the meaningful life we desire. Putting our ego aside enables us to appreciate the contributions of others and help them gain the feeling of living a life that is valued. With this dynamic, a key component of a team, we release the best in each other, which, once tapped into, becomes a powerful force for addressing the challenges that will come to the team.
You will always have your own unique perspective, but it’s important to be curious about why others see something different. You may learn something and even have more good times with your significant other and your organization!
#Purpose #Team #TheShiftFromMeToTeam