It’s all about perspective.

September 3rd, 2013

A little while ago I took a photography course. As a result I now irritate my family by taking my camera everywhere I go (particularly on walks)  and (as they say) spend huge amounts of time taking multiple photographs of the same thing. The dog who is my usual companion is far less bothered by this.

During the photography course I learnt a bit about perspective. In particular how changing the perspective can help to create a different and (hopefully) more interesting image and this is what I have been striving to achieve with varying results.

On a recent walk I began to reflect on how these photographic techniques and concepts relate to the work that I do as a mediator and executive coach. When out with my camera I now often see things or see shapes that I would not have noticed before, look at things differently by focusing on particular aspects of a scene or object, look with greater clarity at some of the detail and from many different angles. I will also experiment with different angles, compositions, settings and depth of field to see what works best. If it is not working I will try something else.

All of this is very similar to what I will be trying to help individuals to achieve in a workplace mediation or coaching session. In either case I see my role as encouraging or helping individuals to:-

  • Consider that others may be viewing things in a different way.
  • See things from different perspectives and if possible understand differing viewpoints.
  • Open up new possibilities by building the confidence to try new and different ways of doing things. (Continuing to do the same things in the same way produces the same results.)
  • Examine things in greater depth and becoming more observant and aware of what is around them and how they relate to it. In a mediation or coaching context this will often be about individuals own behaviours and communication styles as well as an awareness of others behaviours and responses.
  • To experiment and learn from experience. No one ever succeeded without a good few mistakes along the way; the important thing is to learn from them.
  • Adjust, clarify and/or maintain focus on what is important in achieving the desired result.

Finally, just to give you an idea of how well my experimenting with the camera is going here are a couple of photographs that I am particularly proud of  (including one of my uncomplaining companion).

18-10-12 183holiday plus 094poppies 065

« All posts

Leave a Reply

Testimonial

The report was very professional, it dealt with all the issues raised and was particularly thorough. It clearly took the time to fully understand all of the issues and background. It was complex but the report really helped to break it down and I’m hoping we can progress in a positive manner following the recommendations.

Group HR Manager, Energy Sector |

More Testimonials »

Latest from the Blog

View all blog articles »

Featured Case Studies

Group Conflict – Conflicts between teams

It is not uncommon for conflict to arise between different teams. This can have considerable impact on both individuals and performance. A number of approaches can be used in this sort of scenario, including neutral assessment, team facilitation and group mediation.

Read more »

Conflict Coaching – Shareholder/Director dispute

Agreement could not be reached to enter into mediation in this situation and therefore coaching was an alternative support provided to one of the parties. The relationship between a majority shareholder and a shareholder/director was causing conflict. The relationship would be ok at times but disagreements would flare up from time to time and this was beginning to impact on the business.

Read more »

View all case studies »

Close