TO LEARN more about Gilmore ’ s latest book and the importance of perception and thoughtful observation , click here .
P : One of the challenges of looking is seeing the big picture . Can you share a few practical ways on how to develop skills to look at the broader picture ? G : This calls for binoculars looking . The “ way ” of looking is to just use the six lenses . In this case : don binoculars , survey and scan , and see the forest not just the trees . For this looking glass , as with the other five , I include examples and exercises in LOOK to practice each observational skill .
Stop to look . Look just to look . And listen to what you see : What are your observations telling you ? Ultimately , looking is the habit of simply paying attention to the scenes of life in which one is situated .
P : It ’ s often said “ we see what we want to see .” How come our own eyes sometimes deceive us from the truth ? G : This phenomenon is what psychologists call confirmation bias — and overcoming this tendency , which we all have , is the primary benefit to be gained from using bifocals looking . Bifocal looking is performed by pairing two opposing viewpoints , and then comparing and contrasting the two different views . I write in LOOK about how no car manufacturer has ever designed a car for a woman — for there is no place to put a purse ! Subconsciously , automobile designers only see men getting in cars . Likewise , no one has ever designed a car for a dog : designers assume only humans get in cars . By pairing men / women and human / dog via bifocals looking , one could derive the idea of a purse compartment ( not just an antiquated “ glove ” compartment ), or of a pet-ramp ( not just peopledoors ).
P : What are the dangers and advantages of looking at things with a rose-colored glass ? G : “ Rose-colored ” usually has a negative connotation . But with rose-colored glasses looking , the notion is to look at the very term with rose-colored glasses ! This is the skill of looking past any flaws and only seeing the potential in any situation . It ’ s looking at things better than they actually are . I think there is little danger in looking this way . Far from it , we need much more rose-colored looking . It ’ s rose-colored thinking that can present real dangers . Note : I am deliberately positioning looking as a pre-cognitive skill . Look , and then think .
P : Why is it sometimes difficult to spot and scrutinize details , especially when looking at worst-case scenarios ? G : This is a great question . In a recent Looking Excursion — where I go out and about with a client to make observations — a participant commented that she was only seeing the negative , the worst in any situation . She had an especially hard time using rose-colored looking . But by consciously and deliberately using microscope looking , by looking at all the details — not just the immediate elements that struck her — did she then see better features ? It made me think that all microscopic looking eventually reveals the beautiful . It ’ s certainly true in nature . And I suspect it ’ s true of constructed environments as well . n
Personal Side Notes
The book I ’ m currently reading is : Now I Sit Me Down by Witold Rybczynski , about the history of the chair .
Apps I ’ m often using : None . I don ’ t use any digital “ apps .”
The words of wisdom I live by : are found in the book of Galatians —“ for freedom Christ has set us free .”
I recharge creatively by : watching Better Call Saul .
I ’ d love to share a coffee chat with an inspiring
Howard Schultz Ben Stein leader like : Over coffee ? Howard Schultz . Over a beer : Ben Stein .
The hotel amenity I can ’ t live without is : a wake-up call !
March / April 2017 ■ PULSE 27