Many people spend their day working from dual screens on their computer. Think of the difference it would make if people received their news from dual screens – allowing them to experience opposing perspectives rather than believing that the one side they see is the truth.
At the gym, a bank of televisions lines the treadmill area and participants can watch CNN simultaneously while watching FOX. It is fascinating to me how the two networks portray the same story with radically different headlines and lines of questioning. By seeing the two versions side-by-side it becomes apparent that both are including perceptions, not only hard facts, and that my take on the item probably lies somewhere in between.
If you only get your information from one source – whether that be in person, print, television or social media – you find yourself in a self-perpetuating loop that does little besides validate that your position is correct. The more you take in from a limited perspective, the more you become entrenched in a particular point of view.
This happens in politics, of course, but it’s also prevalent in organizations. If you only listen to your staff, you are void of the voice of customers. If you gain input only from one other department, you come to see the organization from just their lens rather than more broadly. If you do “only one” of anything, you’re missing out on the complexity that is inherent in most all that we do.
This weekend take steps to take in an “other” – watch a new channel, read something outside your comfort zone, or talk with one of “them” – and see how it can broaden what you believe is reality.
