Perspectives are the lenses through which we see the world. They shape how we interpret information, solve problems, and make decisions. Perspectives can be distinguished by three factors: (i) the data they observe, (ii) the methods of processing that data, and (iii) the values attributed to the outcomes of that data processing. The Power of Perspective lies in taking diverse perspectives to expose assumptions and inconsistencies, enabling better problem-solving. This is especially important for coaches and consultants who help their clients achieve their goals, overcome challenges, and improve their performance. In this blog post, we will explore why and how coaches and consultants can leverage the Power of Perspective to enhance their effectiveness.
The power of perspective for coaches and consultants
Why Perspective Matters for Coaches and Consultants
Coaches and consultants are professionals who provide guidance, support, and expertise to their clients. They need to understand their clients’ needs, goals, challenges, and contexts. They also need to generate insights, recommendations, and solutions that are relevant, feasible, and impactful.
To do this effectively, they need adopt multiple perspectives that can help them:
- Build rapport and trust with their clients by showing empathy, curiosity, and respect by understanding the client’s perspective.
- Ask powerful questions that elicit deeper thinking, reflection, and learning from their clients by understanding the client’s perspective.
- Provide constructive feedback that is specific, actionable, and supportive by understanding the client’s perspective.
- Challenge assumptions and biases that may limit their clients’ potential or performance by understanding the client’s perspective.
- Explore alternative options and scenarios that may expand their clients’ possibilities or opportunities by understanding the client’s perspective.
- Facilitate change and transformation by helping their clients overcome resistance, embrace uncertainty, and take action by understanding the client’s perspective.
How to Cultivate the Power of Perspective for Coaches and Consultants
Coaches and consultants can take a course on the Power of Perspective and cultivate perspective skills by developing key mindsets:
- Leading with passion: Passion is the fuel that drives coaches and consultants to pursue their vision and mission. Passion also helps them connect with their clients’ emotions and motivations by understanding the client’s perspective.
- Thinking globally: Global thinking is the ability to see beyond one’s own context and consider the broader implications and opportunities of one’s actions. Global thinking also helps coaches and consultants tap into diverse markets, cultures, trends, and resources by understanding geographic perspectives.
- Embracing social responsibility: Social responsibility is the commitment to create positive social impact through one’s products, services, business models, or strategies. Social responsibility also helps coaches and consultants align their values with their clients’ values and build trust and loyalty by understanding diverse perspectives on trending social issues to create impact on problems that matter.
- Banking on connectivity: Connectivity is the use of technology to access information, communicate ideas, collaborate with others, and scale impact. Connectivity also helps coaches and consultants leverage data-driven insights, feedback loops, network effects, and platforms. beyond reach, connectivity requires some understanding of the audience’s perspective for effictive communicatiuon.
Coaches and consultants also utilize perspective skills when applying some practical tools and techniques:
- Peer coaching: Peer coaching is a process of mutual learning and support among coaches and consultants who share similar goals and challenges. Peer coaching can help coaches and consultants enhance their skills and knowledge exchange feedback and best practices and expand their network and opportunities, but requires understanding a peer’s perspective for effective communication.
- Pair working: Pair working is a process of collaborating and co-creating with another coach or consultant on a specific project or task. Pair working can help coaches and consultants benefit from more than one perspective – e.g. different coaching styles, wider knowledge and experience, coaching collaboration & communication style.
- Design thinking: Design thinking is a human-centered approach to innovation that involves empathizing with users defining problems ideating solutions prototyping concepts and testing assumptions.
- Divergent thinking: Divergent thinking is the ability to generate many different ideas or solutions for a given problem or challenge e.g. brainstorming.
- Convergent thinking: Convergent thinking is the ability to evaluate and select the best idea or solution for a given problem or challenge. Convergent thinking can be facilitated by decision-making tools such as SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), PEST Analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technological), or Cost-Benefit Analysis.
- Perspective-taking: Perspective-taking is the ability to adopt another person’s point of view and understand their thoughts and feelings. Perspective-taking can utilize tools such as empathy maps, role-playing, or storytelling .
Conclusion
Perspective is a powerful tool for coaches and consultants who want to help their clients achieve their goals overcome challenges and improve their performance. By taking diverse perspectives and exposing assumptions and inconsistencies they can enhance their effectiveness and generate more value for their clients. To cultivate perspective they need to develop four key mindsets: leading with passion thinking globally embracing social responsibility and banking on connectivity. They also need to apply some practical tools and techniques such as peer coaching pair working design thinking divergent thinking convergent thinking and perspective-taking.
If you want to learn more about the power of perspective for coaches and consultants you can enroll in our online course that will teach you how to apply perspective in your own projects and ventures. To register for the Power of Perspective course please visit our website