I came across the Georgetown 2016 commencement speech given by Dan Pink. It’s 17 minutes long and worth watching. I find commencement speeches fascinating because the speaker generally tries to inspire others to greatness while cautioning them about the real world. Some speakers will talk about their journey, while others will gather material around a particular topic. This speech is a little of both as Dan Pink’s topic comes from his life’s work of understanding personal and organizational behavior.
Let’s talk about perspective-taking.
Being able to see the world from someone else’s perspective is extremely important and often very difficult. You haven’t lived any life, but your own, and everyone’s life experiences are different. Putting yourself in someone else’s place takes practice and dialog.
Dan Pink sites that people in positions of power often are not good at taking someone else’s perspective, but people with no power have to do it all the time. He tells the crowd not to make the mistake of assuming you are the smartest person in the room because the room has gotten a lot smarter. If you think you are the most intelligent person in the room, you close yourself off to hearing what others have to say, seeing things from their perspective, and learning from them. You also run the risk of gaining a reputation for being arrogant.
Perspective-taking is an active skill that requires us to ask questions and accept what the other is saying. That bears repeating. You must accept that the perspective is just as valid as your own.
Just because you may have a college degree (or two) or are “the boss” doesn’t mean that the person sitting next to you is any less wise. They have a different perspective because they have lived a different life than you. The diversity of life experiences in the room can bring about the most innovative ideas.
Opening yourself up to learn from another’s perspective allows you to see those expanded possibilities.
My advice . . . start looking around the room and remember that everyone in that room has something to teach you. See what new possibilities you discover.
