Conclusion

Our perspective or worldview is based on the sum total of our knowledge and experiences. It defines us, shaping our thoughts and actions, because it represents the way we see ourselves and situations, how we judge the relative importance of things, and how we establish a meaningful relationship with everything around us. If you primarily operate in the blue zone, your perspective can skew toward being too narrowly focused; if you mostly operate in the red zone, your perspective may become too self-centered. Once you remove the perceptual filters and step out of the blue or red zone, you have an opportunity to shift your perspective.

A wise leadership perspective is oriented toward one’s North Star, which represents one’s noble purpose. A noble purpose transcends personal gain and ego and is worth pursuing in an honorable manner. It gives meaning to life and offers a sure path to contentment and happiness. Being able to move from a smart leadership perspective to a wise leadership perspective entails finding and following your North Star.

Shifting perspective is rarely a single, conscious act. Rather, it’s a series of reorientations toward a changing reality. Being open to changes in the internal as well as the external context and cultivating a growth mind-set will open the way for you to let these shifts unfold repeatedly in a graceful and natural manner.

When you seek to shift your perspective, start by identifying where you are: the zone in which your perspective is predominantly anchored. You can do this by using the self-assessment in chapter 1 or the assessment on our website (fromsmarttowise.com). Next, find your noble purpose—your North Star—and try to identify it in words. With knowledge of your starting orientation and a formulation of your noble purpose, you can begin to cultivate a growth mind-set. This involves remaining open to changes and experiences that are new, are emotionally charged, or make you feel vulnerable; it also means consciously reframing situations to create more meaning and interconnectedness. You can use the wise leadership dashboard on our website to keep track of your progress toward developing a wise perspective.

To get the most out of this chapter, we recommend that you ask yourself the following questions, depending on which zone you more closely identify with and reflect on them in as curious and nonjudgmental a manner as you can. If you are in the red zone, you may need to slow down to shift your perspective and learn to reflect and look inward as a balance to your rapid, full-throttle approach to your work. If you are in the blue zone, you may need to stretch yourself outside your comfort zone to get a broader perspective, not defaulting to tactical or operational solutions too quickly. In either case, a good grasp on your North Star will help you reach beyond your default set of ideas and answers.

Red Zone

• Are there times and situations when I tend to make decisions too rapidly and without a balanced perspective? What are they, and what are the consequences I can foresee when that happens?
• Do I worry that I’ll miss out on something if I slow down or pull back from my work? What might I gain by trying to bring more balance to my life and my work and to my decision making?
• Vision is not the same as purpose. Do I confuse vision, which arises out of “what” questions, and purpose, which arises out of “why” questions? If so, when do I do this and why?
• Not every action or decision is at the same level of importance. Do I get overwhelmed because I’m not prioritizing enough? In what situations does this happen? Do I lack project management skills?
• What is my attitude about personal change away from my areas of strength?

Blue Zone

• Do I have trouble stepping back from my areas of strength—my tactical or operational perspective? In what conditions or situations is this the most difficult for me?
• What is my attitude toward risk and failure? When I think of taking a risk or trying something new—professionally or personally—and failing, is the mere thought of failure enough to keep me from taking the risk?
• Think of a time you experienced failure. Then ask what failure meant to you. Do I tend to take it personally? How might I learn to reframe failure (this particular one or failure in general) more constructively?
• Think of a time when you defaulted to a tactical or operational solution, perhaps too quickly. What was the outcome, and what were the opportunity costs?
• What is my attitude about personal change away from my areas of strength?

Having a clear noble purpose and a broadened perspective are important first steps to wise leadership. The next is to pay attention to your orientation to action and find ways to act authentically and appropriately. This is the topic of chapter 3.