Because You Don't Know Everything You Should Ask This Question

My wife and I were having a conversation with another couple. When we were finished and driving back home, my wife turned to me and asked, "Did you notice how they talked to each other?"

I hadn't been paying attention to that.

But she had.

Put two people in the same room and they'll observe an interaction, an event from different perspectives.

Which leads me to the question that I think needs asking in every situation...

What am I missing here?

The goal of leadership isn't to simply pass on your own perspective to everyone else. It is more about enlarging your own perspective by considering other perspectives, by learning from the perspectives of others so that you can lead with the best possible information.

What am I missing here?

Driving away from the conversation with the other couple, I wasn't even tracking with the way they were interacting with each other. But when my wife asked the question, it gave me a whole new perspective on the conversation.

What am I missing here?

When your group gets together and wants to make a decision, don't assume to have all the answers. Allow the perspectives of others to shed as much light as possible on a situation.

What am I missing here?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Is there an area in your leadership where you might be missing something?

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT: Who helps you know what you're missing?

: : : :

Tim Milburn
Student Leadership Trainer & Tool Maker
www.studentlinc.net

Comments

[tim]

EM...I really like it when you said, "The problem with 'what am I missing' is that it's awfully tough to figure that out by yourself."

Great input. This question is one that needs to be asked of others. It's more than a reflective or rhetorical question, it's a request from somebody else.

Thanks for adding value to this post.

[EM]

I couldn't agree with you more. As a writer, I find outside perspectives invaluable. It's a delicate trick to get a story out of your head and onto paper. It's easy to use either too much description or not enough for any given scene, especially when you're writing about imaginary worlds. I send every story I write to at least two "fresh" readers--reaaders with whom I have never discussed the story at all--before submitting it.

The problem with "what am I missing" is that it's awfully tough to figure that out by yourself. I rely on friends and family to be my "what am I missing" gurus--to catch the problems I can't.