KALEIDOSCOPE THINKING
Have you ever met someone who seemed to have a knack for seeing things from multiple perspectives? Like leadership, seeing things from several perspectives isn't an innate personality trait; it is a skill for anyone who chooses to develop their abilities. When we choose to think about our own ideas, choices and actions from many different perspectives we develop our critical thinking, empathy and decision making skills. We learn to recognize how news will affect the person receiving it, how different options influence outcomes, and how alternative solutions produce new possibilities.
When we look at the world, we are limited by our perspective. No one can understand something in the exact way that you will because no one else has had the same thoughts, beliefs and experiences. New ideas and experiences are only understood through our mental filter that creates a pattern of the world around us.
To understand multiple perspective thinking, imagine a kaleidoscope. When we first hold one up to our eyes we see one pattern - our own perspective. When we begin turning it, we see the same image filtered through another pattern. As we continue turning it, the image eventually becomes unrecognizable from the first, yet we enjoy each image for its unique and beautiful qualities. Each turn gives us a new way of looking at the same thing, and each turn brings more insight into what we are examining. Practicing kaleidoscope thinking allows us to evaluate each thought or idea in new and exciting ways. While idea generation is important, it is the thorough and unabashed examination of an idea that gives it strength.
Kaleidoscope thinking begins by thinking about something through the eyes of someone else. In order to do this, we must get fully conscious of our perspective. Take a situation you are faced with now and become aware of all the thoughts and emotions you are experiencing in relation to it. How do you see it, and how is it different from how one of your close friends views the same series of events? Now see it through the eyes of a child. Fully experience the perception of a five or ten year-old. What would they find funny or interesting about it? Would they see a solution that you haven't because you are too involved? Then think about it through the eyes of an eighty year-old. Imagine everything they have seen and experienced in their lives. How would they see the same situation differently? What about your employees or customers?
Effective leadership requires the development of kaleidoscope thinking. In order to maximize your thinking potential, consider each new idea, challenge or problem as an opportunity to consider going beyond the obvious to discover multiple possibilities. Sharpening your thinking skills will determine the quality of your results and future. The next time you have a decision to make or an idea to evaluate, pull your kaleidoscope out of your leadership toolbox and see the world from a new perspective.
