Part of seeing the big picture is seeing things that are beyond your own perspective. One of the greatest challenges in business today is to develop the ability to understand the other persons’ point of view. Part of doing this is to shift from meeting your own needs to be involved in meeting the needs of others.
An example would be someone who undertakes a marketing program because they like it. By talking to people in their market, they can begin to understand how to market to these people. In order to do this a person might need to suspend meeting their own needs and meet the needs of the people they are marketing to.
One of the more meaningful things an employer can do is to develop the ability to see things from the employees’ point of view. However, this does not mean learning their point of view in order to manipulate them into your point of view. When you begin to understand the employees’ point of view, you can then progress toward bringing about a better work environment for them. Their involvement in your company can be more meaningful and result producing. This in turn impacts your customers in a positive manner. When you look at things from the other persons’ point of view it will tell them that you value them as a person as well as an employee.
When you embrace the aspect of seeing things from the other persons’ point of view, you can then look at improving your products or services to meet the customer’s needs at a higher level.
Looking at things from the other persons’ point of view requires a level of awareness and capability for development within yourself. The results can be astounding.
Garry Haggart, CPC, is a management, marketing and performance development consultant and facilitator.
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