why the resolution of these basic conflicts is so difficult some-
times. It’s almost never a choice between a right and a wrong.
For example, hope lies somewhere between blind trust and sus-
picion, but so does its opposite, despair. And wisdom usually
follows illusion, delusion, and disillusion.
Once you have learned to reflect on your experiences until
the resolution of your conflicts arises from within you, then
you begin to develop your own perspective.
PERSPECTIVE
John Sculley touched on the need for perspective: “It’s impor-
tant to change your perspective, maybe by living or traveling
extensively abroad. Shifting your stance changes you. You take
the same set of facts and shift the vantage point and everything
looks different. One of the things leaders have to be good at is
perspective. Leaders don’t necessarily have to invent ideas, but
they have to be able to put them in context and add perspec-
tive.... What I look for in people is the ability to transform
their experience into ideas and to put those ideas in context.”
What is your perspective? The following questions should
give you some idea.
- When you consider a new project, do you think first of its
cost or its benefits? - Do you rank profit or progress first?
- Would you rather be rich or famous?
- If offered a promotion that required you to move to an-
other city, would you discuss it with your family before
accepting it?
On Becoming a Leader