Before the pandemic I was attending a conference in New York City and on a night off I had the treat of seeing Come From Away on Broadway. A colleague had scored tickets for us and while I was excited about the show, I realized as we walked to the theatre that I was holding some major trepidation about the swiftly approaching experience. It sounds odd, I mean who feels fear or anxiety about attending a Broadway show which chronicles the real-life experiences of their beloved home province and shows the heart behind the generous town of Gander, NL. Well, I admit I did... so much so that I almost backed out as we neared the doors of the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. As we waited in the line up I will be honest, I was racking my mind for an "out" feeling confused by the visceral response that I was experiencing and uncertain as to where this vibe was coming from.

Fast forward to show time, my "out" had not come. I was settling into our assigned seats when I overheard the people behind me talking about the "newfie" show ahead. Within a nano second of hearing this, I realized where my flight and divert feeling were coming from, I had been anticipating the "newfie" jokes or our accent being made fun of, and I did not want to be in that space. Carefully I turned around to see who was speaking and seated in the row behind me, and I was amazed by the Upper East Side NYC vibe and outright wealth that surrounded me. I fully admit that I began to narrate a story based on my visual take of who these people were. As I quietly turned back to face the stage, they continued talking loudly, sharing their curiosities about Newfoundland and wonderings about the show ahead. So much of what they were saying was wildly inaccurate, that I could no longer sit silently. I turned around again and introduced myself gently sharing that the story they were about to enjoy was true. One of the grand ladies pointedly asked me how I could verify that and I proudly shared, "I'm from Newfoundland, it's my home." The curtain then lifted and everyone in the theatre was taken to a place where the depth of human compassion, tragedy, and fear were encircled into the open arms of the 10, 000 person town of Gander. When the curtain dropped and the show ended, I felt a warm hand squeeze my shoulder. It was the bejewelled hand of the grand lady behind me who as I turned said, "Oh honey, you must be so proud of your home." With tears in both of our eyes, we smiled and there were no more words.

Perspective shapes how subjects are viewed or presented. From an artistic point of view perspective is the technique which gives a sense of depth and space to two-dimensional surfaces or three-dimensional objects. From a literary point of view perspective provides the viewpoint or angle from which a situation or story is narrated or described. From a relational point of view perspective is crucial to how individuals understand and appreciate each other's thoughts, feelings and experiences. I made a heavy judgement on that cool April evening in NYC, as I took one look at the row of individuals behind me and narrated my own mind story about who they were based on how they appeared and sounded.

Sometimes our perspective creates a paradox obscuring our vision and mindset as the weight of what we see, feel and remember takes over our thought processes. We all carry our own "stuff" that colours our ability to perspective take. The human condition hinges on our memory bank and without self-awareness these memories can lead us into spaces where our perspective is shaded, jaded or illuminated. We all have biases that inform our perceptions and perspectives. Our decision making capacities are continually impacted by our perspective on situations, people, events, spaces, relationships and lived experiences. For leaders this can be a fatal flaw or a superpower. Activating perspective checking techniques can help leaders ensure a well-rounded understanding to a situation and in turn our responses to it. Here are my fav four of late:

1. Empathy Mapping
   1. How? Put yourself in the shoes of a different individual or stakeholders and consider what they might be thinking in a particular situation.
   2. Why? This technique can help build understanding of the cognitive and emotional viewpoints while building empathy toward different experiences.
2. Role Reversal
   1. How? Imagine that you are taking on the role of someone different in the situation. Think about how decisions and opinions would change if you were the other person or group directly impacted.
   2. Why? This technique helps highlight gaps and biases in understanding by thinking about how different responsibilities, backgrounds or power dynamics influence perspectives.
3. Devil's Advocate
   1. How? Argue "on purpose" against the dominant perspective or commonly accepted view point even if you agree with it. Look for blindspots in the argument or decision.
   2. Why? This technique encourages critical thinking and assists with exploring different outcomes or possible consequences.
4. The 5 "Why's" Technique
   1. How? Ask "why" five times, or more, to explore the deeper reasoning or root cause behind a belief or perspective.
   2. Why? This technique helps with digging deeper into motivations or assumptions that may not be immediately obvious helping to identify causes or actions or opinions in contentious or complex situations.

Self awareness is a key to improvement. Leaders have a responsibility to engage in thoughtful and critical growth cycles. Leaders also have a responsibility to ensure that perspective taking is encouraged and that shame or blame are lifted out of perspective taking exercises. Leaders create the atmosphere around them. Just as we encourage physical activity, we need to foster perspective taking in action. The practice of mental nimbleness and cognitive agility requires practice, time, psychological safety and a sense of belonging. Leaders need to feel the world around them. Perspective taking can help us recognize why we think what we think helping us avoid getting stuck in complexity. Flowing forward versus brewing in frustration is something we can and must control (Hanley-Dafoe, 2023). If we know the body keeps score, and if we know the body remembers hurt, disappointment and trauma, then we have to intentionally converse our about own perspectives in order to eliminate stigma and relational micro-aggression in decision-making processes.

There is an interconnected relationship between perspective, equity and excellence. To achieve equity it is essential to think about multiple perspectives, especially those from marginalized or underrepresented groups. These perspectives help identify systemic barriers or biases that might not be visible. To achieve excellence, leaders have to accept diverse perspectives in order to foster innovation, creativity and authenticity in problem solving. In schools understanding and leveraging students' diversity can enhance more meaningful and personalized learning experiences promoting excellence for all. Perspective informs equity and enhances excellence creating pathways for all students to succeed. In fast paced situations where quick decisions are too frequently dropped, slowing down to fully consider another's perspective is a critical tool in the inclusive leaders toolkit. If all means all, then lifting up out of the perspective paradox requires honest dialogue, alongside of brave educators who are okay with finding comfort in the discomfort of self-awareness and critical reflection.