Power of Choice

“I won’t believe it until I see it,” the supervisor muttered under her breath as she walked away from the morning staff meeting. This is a common statement that many of us find ourselves saying. But with this attitude, comes unintentional consequences. In all likelihood, the supervisor won’t see it. She has unconsciously made a choice to miss any possible opportunity.

Dewitt Jones, a photographer from the National Geographic began his career thinking much the same way, “I have to see it to believe it.” But as his career progressed, taking pictures of people and places around the world, he began to realize that his attitude played a tremendous role in what he could see. That if he believed there was a picture worth taking, it would appear. His vision and attitude spurred creativity and passion that resulted in Jones becoming a world acclaimed photographer.

Strong leaders, inspiring leaders are very aware of the power of choice. Choosing to believe  — there is a solution to the problem; there is opportunity ahead – is essential to mobilizing others to tackle tough challenges. And while it may be a small shift to go from expecting to see a result to believing you will see the desired result, it is not always an easy one.

Jones’ message is critical to any group or organization looking to build a team of capable and true leaders. The teams’ perception is controlled by their vision. So the first step in directing the course of perception is for the leaders to spend time identifying vision through self-reflection. This is absolutely key to effective leadership. For it is our vision that controls our perspective, and in turn, our perspective that controls our reality.  

Everyone has choices. Do we choose to see the possibilities? Do we really believe there are choices before us?