We just returned from the Galapagos, home of Darwin’s observations on the origin of species. We went loaded with camera and video paraphernalia and memory cards so we would not miss a single shot of wildlife in the wild. The trip was so enjoyable that we looked at the photos and videos soon after coming home.Feet 4

Same Place, Not the Same Feeling

The pictures revealed vastly different perspectives of the trip depending upon the photographer — either an adult or our 15-year old daughter. The adult pictures are similar to the pictures found on postcards, travel brochures and other common animal and landscape photos. They’re nice. We like them because catching close-ups of moving animals is a challenge. The main feature is that the photos are occasionally personalized with a family member posing with an animal or in front of a scenic view.

In contrast, the photos taken by our teenager were more personal and captured moments in time instead of a picture that tried to show the place, view and animal all at once. The videos showed the backsides of others walking ahead, legs hiking up a hill, her feet on different textured ground, close-ups of the terrain, people milling about, bouncing video when the camera was held solely around her neck, and people taking pictures. The photo angles were purposely askew. She said she wanted to reflect being in the moment. Taken altogether, it offered a very lively personal view of our tours of the various islands. Her perspective of the same events was different than expected and that made her photo log interesting.

Leaders Anticipate

Both perspectives are valuable. Companies often get stuck doing the same thing the same way because it works. However, the future requires adapting to changes that evolve over time as well as sudden shifts in the marketplace. Organizations that go a step further and anticipate how the environment will change and how their business will take advantage of those changes is what separates leaders from followers.

Have an open mind. Look at it from someone else’s perspective—zoom in if you always look at a wide angle; zoom out if you tend to be always zoomed in. Everyone is a photographer in your organization. They each have their own viewfinder, which in turn gives them a unique perspective. Each individual chooses what to focus on, how much to zoom in, and decides how to frame the picture before clicking the shutter and saving the picture. That picture is their personal perspective of the organization and determines their behavior and attitude.

A Root for Innovation

Alternative perspectives are important to companies because they can provide ideas for innovation as well as clues to problems. They also provide insight into the future. When was the last time you gathered perspectives on a new service or product or issue?