Insight II
Above v/s Away
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Last week I wrote about "Feel v/s Express", one of the two most profound insights I discovered through my experiences working with student communities and my leadership roles.
Today, I'll share the second insight.
Let's get into it!
Above v/s Away — The insight of perspective.
Everyone has heard about "taking a step back to look at the bigger picture", but I argue that we must step up instead of stepping back.
In an organisation, it's common for people to feel that their leaders don't understand them and the situation. I've faced this problem numerous times, and I realised that they see a bigger picture but not necessarily the bigger picture and the error is in perspective.
This is where I implore leaders to ask themselves if they stepped up or stepped away from their people to look at the whole thing and take a decision.
I've seen leaders struggle with maintaining progress, keeping people together, resolving issues and making the most basic things happen because they don't have the ideal perspective.
In a hierarchal sense, the leader is obviously above the team on the chart, but being above the team in this context is unique. It's not about being dominant or establishing superiority. It's about looking at things in a better, more suitable way.
In a metaphorical sense, when a leader looks at their team from above, they see where everyone stands, how close some people are working with others and their level of skills, efforts and contributions are reflected in how close they are to the leader.
Even in person, it's difficult for people to properly communicate when they are together. With people at different latitudes and longitudes, the chances and severity of miscommunication increase concurrently.
If that wasn't bad enough, folks in the same team live in different dimensions. Not sure if any of you know "Flatland", so watch this fun video by TEDx to understand what I mean by "live in different dimensions".
Some people are squares, and some are spheres. What are you?
It all comes back to self-awareness and redirection to where we want to go.
For better understanding, the primary difference between Above and Away, in a physical context, is that from 300 km away[1], Mount Everest is visible and beautiful, but you can only experience the irregularities and thrill when you step on it.
And from the peak of Mount Everest, you can see 354,513 square kilometres all around. Closer, clearer; farther, blur.
So, if you are in a leadership role, ask yourself if you are above your team or away from them.
If you are in a team and feel as if your leader doesn't you, analyse if it is them or you who's away, work with everyone and bring things together accordingly.
It's easy to get lost in complex environments, so if you are the one "away", go to the right spot — the right spot for you and where the organisation needs you to be.
Find the right field, reach for the higher ground, help others climb up, and thrive together.