Resources | Blog

Seeing the World through Someone Else’s Eyes

We came across the Magritte picture below. “What do you see?”, I asked the family. What came back was a diverse tapestry of interpretations that enriched my view and blew open the artist’s title: Annunciation. This experience reminded me of an exercise I ran recently as part of a leadership programme, where the question top of mind was “how do you get people who don’t report into you to do what you want them to do?”. The answer lay in changing the question. In choosing to set aside, for one moment, our agenda, our perspective and interests and deciding to take on board other people’s point of view, we are far more able to listen and connect with where they are coming from – and therefore find a solution that suits us both. I likened this to a mountain range, where to understand another’s viewpoint, we need to climb down from our own summit, take off our walking boots, walk across the valley floor to the other person’s mountain, climb up to their summit in their boots and look out at the view from there. This ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes – walk a mile in their shoes – is eloquently illustrated in this video link of a day in the life of a US hospital, where the camera shows the inner lives of the people passing through, and the emotions playing through their minds on a daily basis. In a continuously changing world, the ability to move between mountains and not only see, but respect what others see, is an increasingly valuable skill to have.

Antoinette Dale Henderson

The Gravitas Coach

Antoinette is an executive coach, keynote speaker and two-time author with over 25 years’ experience in leadership communications, including 16 years holding senior positions in some of the world’s top PR agencies.

You might also like…

How to lead a new team: five recommendations to maximise engagement and loyalty

How to lead a new team: five recommendations to maximise engagement and loyalty

It’s the start of a new year – and, once the salutations are out of the way, a time when strategies are revisited, budgets are refreshed and new teams are formed. In short, a time of change. So what’s the best way for you to lead a new team and inspire maximum engagement and loyalty from them? Read this article to discover my recommendations.

How to interject in a meeting

How to interject in a meeting

How do you get your point across in a busy meeting where loads of people are talking at the same time, and you really want to make sure your message lands?

To discuss how Antoinette and her team can accelerate your success, book a call now!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This