The following video provides a good reminder that can help give us perspective in times of change. It’s a short clip (1:41), highlighting what happens when we are focused so intensely on one thing we don’t see other things going on around us. Please watch before reading further.
Things change…and instead of looking for ways to prove things are not working, it’s important to lead ourselves and our teams to look for ways to prove things are working.
Here are 3 points to consider relative to perspective in times of change.
1. You Find What You Are Looking For
- In the video, if you were only counting the number of passes, you may have
missed other things going on. - Ask yourself what else you might be missing on a daily basis because you are
focused on proving something doesn’t work. - Refocus your energy on finding things that do work and that is what you will
notice, rather than the negative.
2. Assume Positive Intent
- People need to know you care. Look them in the eye until you see their heart.
- Exhibit the discipline necessary to take the time to listen, work on
relationships, and not take the easy way out. - Lead you and your team to assume others’ actions are for good reason.
3. You May Actually Learn Something
- Sometimes we are focused on our little silo and lose sight of the bigger picture.
- Leadership gives the vision for us to carry out. They don’t need to be told
what’s not working…they know. They need ideas on how to make things
better. - Stay focused on carrying out the vision and what you thought was bad just
might turn out to be something good you can learn from.
To close, I’ve adapted an analogy from The Hunter, the Bear, the Bear-Trap, and God, a story taken from Lee Strobel’s, “The Case for Faith”.
Imagine a bear in a bear trap and a hunter who, out of sympathy, wants to liberate him. The hunter tries to win the bear’s confidence, but he can’t do it and the bear continues to fight him. So, he has to shoot the bear full of drugs in order to help it out of the problem.
The bear however, thinks this is an attack and the hunter is trying to hurt him more or even kill him. The bear doesn’t realize this is not an attack but rather an act being committed out of compassion. Then, in order to get the bear out of the trap, the hunter would have to push the bear’s paw deeper into the trap, releasing the tension on the spring. If the bear were semiconscious at that point, he would be even more convinced the hunter was his enemy and was out to cause him suffering and chaos.
But the bear would be wrong. Does the bear have any reason to think the hunter is trying to help him? He reaches this incorrect conclusion because he’s not a human being and doesn’t understand how the human thinks or the entire situation at hand. The hunter understands but has no way of forcing the bear to comply or to even verbally tell the bear it is all going to work out.
Now, relate this to us and our perspective in times of change. I believe at times, the same happens to us. We can’t comprehend it any more than the bear can understand the motivations of the hunter. As the bear could have trusted the hunter, so it’s at least possible we need change for reasons which we may not understand, but which is necessary for some eventual good.
Change happens. Your perspective of change is your reality, so look for the best and you will find the win-win you need to succeed and to help your team succeed.
Shannon Woody
*Director of Sales, Walmart – Newell Brands
*Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.
The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.