Why do you need a perspective going into the New Year? People with a perspective have a point of view, they engage more, and are able to see the world differently.

I took a drawing class last year called “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.”  To say that I did not receive the gift of drawing is a little bit of an understatement.  Writing words is relatively easy, but drawing a straight line even with a ruler has historically been a challenge for me. Can you relate?

Now, “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain,” for all of those who remember some of the “brain” anatomy, is all about engaging the creative right side of the brain.  The left is the more logical side of the brain.  A number of interesting things occurred as I was instructed on drawing and worked through the activities during class.

Before we get to that, you are probably wondering what all this has to do with growing your business, improving performance, driving change, sales or sales leadership topics that I usually comment on.  Stay with me!  Here’s what happened:

• Time flew by during each 3 hour session.
• I did actually learn to draw.
• I gained a new understanding of perspective.

If you consider the definition of perspective from dictionary.com, it is the state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one, in having a meaningful interrelationship.  In drawing, perspective is about creating a 3-D world that reflects height, width, depth and interrelationship of position and size on a 2 dimensional piece of paper.  In drawing, your perspective is influenced by:

• Where you view the objects that you are drawing (close or far)
• What angle you are viewing the objects from (front, back, above, below, beside)
• Where you set the horizon

One of the interesting things about drawing is that the concentration required when drawing meant that I didn’t think about business during that time.  But, true to form, after class, I frequently reflected on how what I learned related to business.  This is a attempt at applying my lessons from drawing with perspective to the world of business. Why do you need a perspective going into the New Year?

Reason #1

People with a perspective have a point of view.  In a world filled with instant information, fake news and lots of instant opinions, we all need our own perspective.  How do we and others see the world, the situation and the year ahead?  That is all about perspective.

Reason #2

With a perspective, one has the opportunity to engage more, personally and professionally.  As a matter of fact, people (colleagues, customers, friends and family) will seek to understand your perspective.  That is, if you have a thoughtful perspective that brings a 3-D view to a two dimensional conversation.

Reason #3

Developing a perspective helps one see the world differently.  When you see the world from different views, it helps generate new connections that will form the basis for new perspectives.

Since taking my art class, when I see a object such as a tree, take a picture of a camellia flower with my iPhone, take a hike at “Gold Branch in the Chattahoochee National Forest” or sit on a Delta flight at 30,000 feet, I start to view and appreciate things from a new perspective.  I constantly think, “I can draw that or wouldn’t that make a great painting.”

So, what is your perspective on the year ahead? It will be heavily influenced by where you set your horizon.  More on that, later…