Leadership Perceptions
An artist I know loves to show me a blank canvas and describe, in detail, the painting. To her, it’s so clear. Where I see only a blank canvas, she sees an entire landscape full of vibrant colors.
An entrepreneur I know once took his family on a tour of a remote piece of property. He shared his vision for where buildings would go and all the customers who would be mingling in various parts of the land. The family couldn’t imagine it, but he saw it all vividly. And, today, it looks exactly like that. It’s a thriving business.
An author friend of mine creates characters in her mind. Month after month, she dreams about them, talks with them, listens to them. They become so real to her that, when she finally starts writing, it’s as if she is merely recording what happens instead of inventing it.
That’s the power of imagination. It’s the power of creativity.
- Seeing something magical where others see mundane.
- Seeing something beautiful where others see garbage.
- Seeing potential in someone they don’t see in themselves.
- Leaders inspire us by seeing a positive vision for organizations.
- Successful people see opportunities when others see problems.
If there’s one skill you want to cultivate, it’s seeing the positive, the beautiful, the magical in others, in yourself, in challenging times, in dark places.
Because that change of perspective can make the difference in your outlook.
On a recent vacation, my wife was relaxing on a deck with a view of a mountain. As she often does, she was bringing people into her mind and praying for them one by one. Mesmerized by the beautiful scene in front of her, she decided to take a quick picture with her phone.
When we returned home, she was looking at her pictures and shared this one with a few close friends. Immediately, the responses started coming back. There’s something in the clouds!
See anything in the picture above? See nothing? Think this is a Rorschach test? What do you see?
And more importantly, when you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see potential? Do you see the vision of your future self: confident and successful? Or do you see only the signs of aging?
What you see is up to you. Today, I hope you see the positive, the opportunity, the magic inside.
