"Through the same lens" which means looking at something from the exact same perspective or viewpoint, implying that two or more people are interpreting a situation or event in the same way, without any significant differences in their understanding due to their individual experiences or biases; essentially, seeing things "through the same eyes.”
May I ask you to consider this…
I have found that through all of my years of teaching dance and owning a studio, all of the stuff that life throws at you, impacts us as business leaders and teachers. Additionally, in my opinion, much of the self-induced strife and turmoil we experience is because we don’t or cannot understand why anyone would see things differently from our point of view. Whether it be world affairs, business practices, politics or even constructive criticism. Everyone sees and hears things differently. Furthermore, most people react differently to this stimulus as well. I am surprised to see folks on Social Media outlets post some strong opinions on current world affairs and then imply that if you do not agree with them there is something wrong with you. Maybe they don’t know that old saying, “Different strokes for different folks!”
The truth is we don’t all look through the same lens all of the time. Your focus is not everyone else’s focus and they are not wrong because they don’t agree or feel the same way you do about any given topic. If you can wrap our heads around this, I believe that a whole lot of stress, anger and anxiety would simply melt away. I can tell you that it has helped me 1000%, BIG TIME!
Personally, I never really could understand why anyone would think that everyone would agree with their point of view. Heck we can barely control what thoughts pop into our own heads or how we feel, so how can we expect the world to be on board with our opinions at any given time? In business. I personally welcome it when one of my team members pushes back on an idea or proposed change. It gets me to broaden my perspective and yes, I learn something as well. But I try not to let it stop there. I want to know and understand how others look at the world through their lens in everything that we all deal with on a day-to-day basis. I believe that if you want to be truly a great leader, business owner and teacher, then this one trait, will be a real game changer. I try to apply it all the time. Now I am not suggesting that we have to agree with or even totally understand how some folks think or act. But the point is, you don’t have to. The key here is that we do not get frustrated or be judgmental when this happens
This applies to everything coming your way both personally and business wise.
Think about this for a moment, if we want our students to be open and receptive to something that they may not like or agree with, isn’t it important that we help them develop and master this trait? If we can help our students to develop this life skill, I can assure you that it will be in high demand in the coming years. However, it will be hard to teach, if you are not putting this into practice in your own life!
Think about your students for a moment…
Do they all learn the same way?
Do they hear and apply corrections the same way?
Do they advance the same way?
Do they like all of the same styles of dance?
Do they behave the same way?
The answer to all the questions above is NO!
Everyone has their own lens that they look through. Great teachers and leaders understand that and can meet people of all ages in the place where they are at. I believe it is incumbent upon us, as leaders, to put our lens down from time to time and look through the other person’s lens. It doesn’t mean you have to lose your values, beliefs and life choices. It just means that you are not projecting, forcing or expecting anyone to look through your lens. In my opinion, this is the sign of a person who can check their ego at the door, who is in control and will have people eagerly following their lead. As another old saying goes, one size does not fit all. I suggest that you always keep in mind that we may all see the same thing, but interpret it differently. And that’s ok!
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