Some of us have faced a difficult medical situation. Some have experienced what it means to be part of a marginalized group. Some have walked a path of constant financial struggle while others find themselves in constant emotional struggle.

The variety of experiences we each encounter develops a unique lens for how we view what we encounter in life’s journey. These experiences not only play a big role in who we are today, but also heavily influence the way we view our experiences for the future.

To experience a family member battle cancer may create a new lens for how you react and support your friend telling you they are battling cancer. Listening to stories of struggles with mental health or reading books on coping may make you show up differently to lead a team at work or in the community. Working in the financial industry and seeing some of the money problems that happen due to lack of education or preparation may make you analyze your financial future differently.

We bring our own lens to each situation but the risk we all run is thinking our lens is the only one. In reality, each person involved in a discussion or situation brings their own unique lens. Each lens comes with its own perspective collected from years of experiences. Collectively, the lenses can be powerful and extremely insightful when diversity of perspective collides. On the flip side, if we lean on the belief our lens is how everyone sees this situation, we silence this diversity of perspective and miss opportunities to assess situations more effectively.  

Take work for example. If there’s a discussion among 5 co-workers on change that’s happening in the company, there will be 5 unique interpretations and responses. One may be excited because the thought of change is interpreted as more opportunities. Another may still feel the fatigue from the last big company change and a sense of exhaustion starts to set in. Additionally, someone may relate the change to something being taken away and naturally they become defensive.

Each situation we encounter, we view from the lens of our experiences. If we are to grow, the ability to zoom out from our lens and invite in other perspectives can be a differentiator of what will happen next. As a leader, I’ve had my moments falling flat on my face because I expected the response from my team to be like how I would respond. In these moments, I missed an opportunity to allow others to bring their experiences and perspective to the situation. I tried to force everyone into using my lens and in turn struggled to create the space for diversity of thought and experiences to be brought into the discussion.

These situations have amplified in my mind the importance of seeking other perspectives through a variety of mediums. Here are just a few examples of what I’ve used to broaden the scope of my lens and invite in other perspectives:

• Have better conversations through practicing active listening
• Read more – it’s an easy opportunity to soak in experiences of others
• Diversify who you connect with – be willing to be uncomfortable meeting with individuals you may not normally have thought to connect with in the past
• Improve your ability to ask questions effectively by practicing
• Ask for feedback and come with an open mind when receiving the insight

The lens we see the world today through is powerful. It matters. But the scope of our lens today is limited, and we each have an opportunity to challenge ourselves to expand the scope. Expand the scope by inviting in more perspectives and experiences from others to help shape a viewpoint much broader than today.

Take your step: expanding our perspective takes time but the opportunities are endless. The few approaches I listed above are just the tip of the iceberg on how we can invite other perspectives to expand the lens we see through. Start with one of these approaches (or leverage some other approach you’re interested in) to start expanding your perspective. Think about the next conversation, meeting, work or community event and challenge yourself to see how you can invite in perspective from the lens’s others see with to expand your own viewpoint. As your viewpoint expands, so can your empathy and ability to assess various situations.