Challenging Perspectives

Perspective is something I work on with nearly all of my clients. It is also something we all need prompting and challenge on from time to time.

There are lots of ways in which our perspective can become distorted, fixed or counterproductive, and there are many reasons why this can happen.

Getting timescale perspective

We often get fixated on our 12-month objectives or five-year plans. In complex and uncertain environments, it is nearly impossible to be exact about what things will look like, or even what you will be doing, in a year’s time. If organisational change is on the horizon, it can be even harder to know what you can realistically achieve when you do not know where you will be.

It is often more realistic to break your goals into shorter timeframes: what can you achieve in three or six months? Longer-term goals can still matter, but they may need to be more aspirational than exact.

If you are striving for a career change or promotion, it can be easy to fixate on the change itself, rather than what you can do now to make your current role a success and leave a positive legacy.

Assumptions about others’ motives, actions or inaction

From my experience running an engineering and maintenance operation, this might sound like “The engineers just couldn’t be bothered to fix that,” or, from the other perspective, “The equipment operators are not following the process.” It is never that simple. The old saying is that there are two sides to every story. In complex and uncertain operational environments, there are often multiple sides.

In a high-pressure operational environment, it is easy to jump to conclusions, especially when things are not going to plan. It is easy to point the blame at another team or department and make assumptions. Causes can include silo working, competing priorities and limited visibility of what is happening elsewhere. Emotions can also run high, which makes it harder to pause and explore the full picture.

Priorities and what is important right now

When you are in the thick of it, managing operational demands, your boss’s expectations and your team’s needs, it is hard to take a breath, step back and see the wood for the trees. What seems urgent may be important, but it may not be the thing that will make the biggest difference right now.

One common example is: “I am so busy covering gaps in my team that I do not have time for the recruitment process.” In the short term, that may feel necessary. In the longer term, it risks keeping you stuck in the same cycle.

It is tempting to assume that your priorities are the only game in town. That is almost never the case.

The bigger picture

Something that seems obvious within one area of the business can have implications for the wider organisation. For example, a performance bonus for one select group on a particular project could create conflict and disgruntlement in other areas, especially if others feel they have performed equally well on something else.

Understanding wider business priorities, and how they affect your area or function, is invaluable. It can help you work through hard choices. For example, if the business priority is cost saving over customer service, proposing activities that could be postponed can make the difference between being seen to understand the wider context and being challenged by the finance department.

Perspectives on perspectives

Looking inward: look at your own assumptions. What are your priorities? What assumptions are you making? Who are you listening to, and are you consulting widely enough? Challenging your own assumptions can be hard when you are facing constant everyday pressure, but it is worth it if you want to reach a sustainable solution.

Looking from above: take a trip in the perspective helicopter. What is the bigger picture? What are the wider business goals? Who is interested? Where might actions in your department cause friction for others?

Looking in from outside: step into the shoes of others. What are their priorities? What pressures are they facing? It is unlikely to be just your problem; they will probably have others, some of which may need to take priority. It can help to consider what else might be influencing people’s actions, both personally and professionally.

I recently read Robbie Swale’s book, The Power to Choose, and one idea really resonated with me: when someone is really annoying you or getting in your way, ask yourself, “What if everyone is doing their best?” That struck a chord, and I have gone back to it many times.

Looking forward sustainably: what solves the immediate problem may not prevent it from happening again. A better perspective helps us find solutions that work now and reduce the chances of the same issue reappearing later. It also helps us build a common understanding and a better way forward.

Perspective seeking and shifting

Taking a step back and examining other perspectives has to be intentional. It draws on curiosity and humility, and it is often helped by having someone else challenge your thinking and ask why a situation is unfolding as it is. Do you have a good mental map of the business outside your immediate area? What are the pressures, goals and priorities for the wider organisation and for other departments? How do they align with yours?

Proactively seek out other perspectives.

Have you identified the right people to ask? Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. If you were faced with these issues in the context of their responsibilities, what would you do?

Be curious.

Draw on humility, openness and transparency. These qualities make it easier to test assumptions and understand what else might be going on.

Facilitate a collaborative environment.

Bring different areas together to build a common understanding. Cross-departmental working groups can encourage collaboration, break down assumptions and create relationships in a calm environment before the pressure rises.

Use practical tools.

Decision-making matrices, stakeholder mapping, issue tracking and informal conversations over coffee can all help turn assumptions into questions, and questions into better understanding.

The more intentionally we challenge our own perspective and seek out others, the better equipped we are to make decisions that are fairer, more informed and more sustainable.