As a coach, one of the most valuable things I do is help clients see things from other perspectives. Simply put, a perspective is a way of looking at things. So often, when something happens to us, our first perspective is the one we cling to. For some strange reason, we become attached to it, like Velcro, even if it doesn’t work for us.

The problem with perspectives is that they are powerful filters that limit what we see. We screen things in or out based on our perspective, and some of the things we’re screening may actually be helpful to us. Perspectives limit our possibilities because we only see something from one viewpoint. By naming the current perspective, coaches help clients develop alternative perspectives that increase their resourcefulness and creativity, which in turn increases their options. And more options increase the chances of success. While no perspective is really “wrong,” some work better than others in helping clients approach a situation and/or achieve a goal.

An experience with a client named Hugh demonstrates the power of perspectives and illustrates how choosing the “wrong,” perspective can work against you. At the time I was working with Hugh, statistics for Victoria’s unemployment rate was tied with another Canadian city for being the lowest in the country. That’s a fact, and not a perspective. Hugh found it difficult to first attract and then keep qualified employees. They would work for him for a few weeks or months and then jump ship. Hugh’s perspective when he came to coaching was that it was impossible to hire and keep valuable employees in the current job market.

I asked him if this were in fact true, or just his perspective. His look said it all – my question might as well of been, “are you sure the world is round?” I then asked him, ala Dr. Phil, how that perspective was working for him. Not well, was the answer.

After some more questioning, Hugh realized that others in his field weren’t having the same problems that he was with staffing. We explored a number of other ways of looking at his staffing situation: that this was a wonderful challenge that he was up to; that by looking at what he was doing and tweaking it, he too could attract all the qualified employees that he needed; that things would only get worse as more and more boomers retired; and that things would never change; among other perspectives.

After Hugh provided alternate ways of looking at his situation, I asked him to choose a perspective. He said it was now evident to him that the perspective he had started with wouldn’t help solve his situation; so he chose to examine what he was doing and tweak what needed to be tweaked. From there we brainstormed a number of things that he could do given his new perspective. He chose a few and committed to taking them by a set date. I asked him to be accountable and to email me to let me know that he had done what he committed to doing and he agreed to my request.

Part of what Hugh committed to doing involved surveying his former employees as to what they liked and disliked about working for him and why they left. He also hired a human resources consultant to help him implement best practices and to make his workplace a more employee friendly place. I’m happy to report that Hugh is now on the same level playing field as others in his field and no longer has more than his fair share of disgruntled employees leaving through his business’ revolving door.

Your Turn

Can you see how exploring and adopting a different perspective helped Hugh improve his situation with his employees and perhaps save his business? How can you apply this coaching tool to a situation that you are currently wrestling with in your life?

To get you started, ask yourself what your current perspective is about it. What results has that viewpoint brought you? Are you satisfied with them? If not, are you open to exploring or changing your perspective? If the answer is no, and you keep the one you have, what is the cost of doing so? Today, tomorrow, in a week, month, or year from now? Ten minutes, 10 months or 10 days from now?

If you decide to explore and try other perspectives, what might the possible payoff be? Whatever your answers, know this from someone who has used this tool with too many people to count; exploring alternate perspectives is powerful stuff, whatever the subject. In fact, many times it’s the pivotal factor between failure and success.