The Power of Perspective

I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective lately. Mine has been poked, stretched, and expanded this past year – and I’m not the only one.

Kara with her two boys Josh (16) and Taine (11) after a NZ U18 Māori game

Perspective is so interesting because we can end up assuming our viewpoint is correct and accurate, even sometimes beyond question. This is especially the case in leadership because, as leaders, your opinions are routinely sought, valued, and validated.

But really, an individual’s perspective is just the way the world looks to that one person. Perspective builds on our unique lifetime of experiences and learnings, including our upbringing, values, beliefs, political leanings, cultural background, and all manner of other variable factors. We end up with personalised sets of lenses through which to view the world. That becomes evident when two people find themselves staring at the exact same painting, paycheck, or swing bridge, and their reactions are wildly different.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and am now in remission, healing, and rebuilding. Like many I’ve known who were diagnosed with cancer, the brush with mortality altered my perspective in a major way. I am now more conscious of who I spend my time with, what I do with each precious day, and the positive impact I can have on many, not only my immediate circle of connections.

Recently, I’ve heard about the Overview Effect.

Time magazine describes this as the change in perspective experienced by astronauts when they first see the world from above, a small glowing part of a never-ending whole: “a place where borders are invisible, where racial, religious, and economic strife are nowhere to be seen”. Space-travellers report overwhelming emotions after seeing our planet from afar, an appreciation of the beauty and fragility of Earth, and a new sense of connection to other people. People pay up to US$28 million for a seat on a commercial space flight - and the perspective-altering experience that goes with it.

And then, there’s rugby.

My son played for the U18 New Zealand Māori team and his perspective was pulled in all directions on a recent nine-day team camp. Rather than hours of game-time and practice, the coaches built the boys into a team. They stayed on marae, discussed and researched the history of the whenua around them, and connected through their shared whakapapa.  

At the schoolboys’ tournament, their performance outstripped all expectations – even though they’d barely touched a ball during their camp.

It was a strategy similar to those employed by team culture guru Owen Eastwood. I’m a few chapters into his book Belonging, where the accomplished Ngai Tahu author and performance coach explains how he uses the concept of whakapapa to help clients such as Scotland Rugby, the South African Proteas, and the US Marines. He urges leaders to understand their organisation and their people – the history, the stories, the values that underpin what they do and how they do it - and utilise that shared culture to build a winning team.

The camp changed my son’s perspective. He came home feeling fresh pride in himself, his culture, and the opportunity he and his teammates had been given. He said: “We aren’t just playing for ourselves, or our team, Mum. We’re playing for all Māori.”

“A healthier perspective doesn’t have to come courtesy of a life-changing moment, a $28 million space flight, or an enlightened coach who manages to capture your sense of belonging.

Luckily, perspective is something you can work on to widen, stretch, and deepen your view, and the best leaders make sure they seek out those opportunities.”

Why? Because perspective gives you a fuller picture. It helps you understand a situation from other positions, to consider how it might look or feel for those with differing beliefs, experiences, and viewpoints. This intentional empathy leads to less of the bias and judgement which often skews leader’s decision-making towards the status quo, the expected, the way things have always been done. When we seek to have a broader perspective, we are choosing to learn from others, be open to new possibilities, and collaborate with those who may have different lenses than yours.

So, what can you do to start widening your perspective?

Here are some of the techniques I have seen effective leaders use to ensure they have a wide, healthy perspective:

• Stay curious and open. What are your team members talking about, worrying about, excited about? Which initiatives seem to invigorate people and which ones fall flat? When we are curious, we learn.

• Widen your circle of influence – talk to people from different demographics. Older people, younger people, those of backgrounds different to your own. People whose interests, and viewpoints, in everything from grassroots politics to public art to Greek cooking to Wordle strategy, are miles from yours.

• Practice empathy. Work to really understand what others are seeing, hearing, and feeling. When you make a decision, consider what the impact will be for them.

In one of our CVL leadership workshops recently, a manager described her leadership journey as a slinky. Part of her description included being flexible, awareness of tunnel vision, and being open to different and changing perspectives.

Her description was important in highlighting the value of constantly moving and growing perspective as our context continues to develop.

And, that’s where I am now. I’m remaining flexible like a slinky in my perspective and writing a new script for the next phase of my life. It involves a better  balance of family, work, adventures, and purpose driven projects that fill my cup and support the broader community around me.

The perspective I’ve gained has been hard won - and now I have it, I don’t want to give it up.

I really encourage you to think about the breadth of your own perspective. Do you rely on the same people to bounce ideas off or do you seek out entirely new voices? What viewpoints are your whānau and community able to add? What insights can you offer others? What’s something you know nothing about and are curious to discover?  

Enjoy exploring! 

And, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, make sure you and/or those important wahine in your life get checked.