The Art of Gaining Perspective in Leadership and Seeing the Bigger Picture
Many years ago, I read a story written by an unknown author about two men who shared a hospital room. Both men were confined to their beds.
Every day, the man whose bed was next to the window described to his roommate what he saw as he looked out the window.
He told him about the children playing at the park.
Explained how the trees were blooming in springtime.
Shared about the lovers walking hand in hand.
One day, the man whose bed was closest to the window was struggling to breathe.
His roommate didn’t call for help because he wanted to have the bed by the window. He wanted to see all the beautiful things his roommate saw every day.
The man next to the window eventually died.
When the roommate was moved to the bed by the window, he saw a brick wall through the glass. There were never children playing, trees blooming, or lovers walking hand in hand.
It was all in the perspective the first man took.
Have you taken time lately to look out the window of your life to understand if you are facing your own brick wall? Perhaps you are…
- Facing changes in your company and don’t know what the future holds…
- Upset that a colleague received the promotion you had also applied for…
- Still dealing with a high performer’s abrasive behavior even though you’ve addressed it…
If you have a brick wall situation, take a moment to put it into perspective.
Make the conscious choice to control what you can control
– your mindset, perspective, and actions –
and you will gain perspective on seeing the bigger picture
in taking your next steps.As always, I’m here to assist. 💗
About the author
Bonnie Artman Fox, MS, LMFT works with executive leaders who want to gain self-awareness about the impact of their words and actions and up-level their interpersonal skills.
Drawing from decades as a psychiatric nurse and licensed family therapist, Bonnie brings a unique perspective to equip executive leaders with the roadmap to emotional intelligence that brings teams together.
Bonnie’s leadership Turnaround coaching program has an 82% success rate in guiding leaders to replace abrasive behavior with tact, empathy, and consideration of others. The end result is a happy, healthy, and profitable workplace…sooner vs. later.