Bridging the Chasm of Perspectives

You've thought a lot about the problem and opportunity ahead. You've even got a solution in mind. Now all you have to do is share your idea. Everyone will see how brilliant it is and get onboard. Right? Not always.

Why don't they see your logic?

People's opinions are often influenced by factors beyond pure logic, including:

Emotions: Feelings such as fear, joy, anger, and sadness can heavily influence opinions. Emotional responses can sometimes override logical reasoning.

Beliefs and Values: Deeply held beliefs and values, often rooted in culture, religion, or personal principles, shape opinions. These can be more influential than logical arguments.

Social Identity: The groups people identify with, such as nationality, ethnicity, or political affiliation, can affect their opinions. People often align their views with those of their social groups.

Personal Interests: Self-interest and personal gain can drive opinions. People may support ideas or policies that benefit them personally, even if they aren't the most logical.

Cognitive Biases: Biases like confirmation bias (favoring information that confirms existing beliefs) and anchoring bias (relying too heavily on the first piece of information encountered) can skew opinions.

Past Experiences: Previous experiences, both positive and negative, can shape how people view current situations and form opinions.

And of cause, you can come to two (or more) very different but logical conclusions with the same set of information.

How to bridge the chasm of perspectives?

There is one simple piece of advice I can share. Don't engage with your stakeholders after you have formed your opinions and made your decisions. Engage before and as part of the process of forming your opinions and making decisions.

This way, you will get:

• Diverse Perspectives

• Increased Buy-In

• Better Understanding of Needs

• Enhanced Trust

• Improved Problem-Solving

• Reduced Resistance

• More Effective Implementation

Overall, this approach leads to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

I can already hear some of you say ... but the above is too time consuming, and we need to move quick with this change. And I respond to this concern with two counter views:

The above is not about engaging with every single stakeholder at length. Feedback can be overwhelming. Engage with representatives of large stakeholder groups instead. And bake in this time for engagement in your project plan.

The risk of not engaging with your stakeholders early on, is that you will spend much more time in the back end of your project addressing resistance to change, misunderstanding, confusion and/or apathy.

Conclusion

Stakeholder engagement is a balancing act. Under-engage and you will meet resistance and slowed implementation and integration. Engage too much and you might create unrealistic expectations, and overwhelm yourself with too many opinions, perspectives, and ideas.

Get the balance right and your change will have a greater chance of sustained success.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Angela Richardson

I have dedicated over 30 years to studying, practicing, and mentoring in leadership and change. Over my career I have had exposure to diverse organisations, many of which have been in states of significant change.

I am passionate about enabling others to succeed and sharing my knowledge to set individuals, teams and organisations up for success. I have a unique set of skills and experience in strategic people leadership, change management and HR technology transformation. My masters degree in organisational psychology and coaching qualifications, along with my experience in both public and private sectors set me apart.

I understand the challenges of leaders because I have been there. I know how hard it is to shift perspectives and dedicate time to growing for your own professional development but also for the benefit of your organisation.

Contact Angela, at angela@angelarichardson.com.au or on 0488 097 885