Here is the element of Perspective, a fractal of Capability that I have found IMPORTANT to address in creating Self-Knowledge>>Self-Awareness, along with their major constituents:

Beginning with the definitions, I think, in general, people have a fairly common “point of view” of perspective and what it might mean, although in making sense, each will use it with a little different “perspective.”

Let me briefly focus on what I mean by outlining 9 elements of perspective.

First Perspective –> New Perspective as a transition, to hold a container for these components or as I might say, transitions in perspective.

I chose to illustrate perspective as a series of what I feel are hierarchical transitions.  In other words, the first “application” of perspective, or “applying” a perspective, is less complex than “giving” a perspective and so on to “taking” a perspective.

Look at this video and it will remind you of how limited our perspectives are and how most of us work from a narrow lens to see what is reality.

The Fine Art Of Deception : The Protojournalist : NPR Take a look at this video of a clever 2013 anamorphic installation — by French artist Bernard Pras. It morphs from a portrait of a man to a mundane pile of objects, depending on how you look at it.

In the beginning: All of us have a perspective.

As you walk through my notions of perspective and the lens we form at anyone given time in the perspective-forming process, remember the window that you saw “Pras” work and notice how small it is in relation to all possible views.

Applying

We may be unaware of that perspective, as in it being objectively known.  Yet, we have one and we apply it as a point of view when we are being, doing, having, becoming, and contributing, which I’ll start abbreviating now as BDHBC to save time. BDHBC are values vectors, which I’ll discuss later in ValuDYNAMICS.

Walk with me through some “figurative” examples of the notions of perspective using my RED CAR theme to illustrate perspectival shifts.

I have the fastest RED CAR on the road.

Giving
When we start to become aware that we have a perspective, we can then give it consciously, and know that we can give our perspective.  This is hierarchically more complex than just “using subjectively what we have as a perspective”, or as you will soon learn, “being subject to your perspective.”

I have a RED CAR. It is the fastest RED CAR on the road, and it can win any race against any other car.

Taking
To take a perspective means that you can step outside your own perspective as object and actually “take, or try on” a perspective that is different from the one you have. It means that we can step away from our perspective long enough to know that there is another perspective available. It doesn’t mean that we can use the new perspective, it just means we are capable of taking one, acknowledging it exists.

I heard there are BLUE CARS that are fast, but they haven’t raced against my RED CAR.

Elaborating
When we are able to discuss our own perspective, and provide someone else with the “Teachable Points Of View” [TPOV] of our perspective, we are said to be able to elaborate our perspective. Often this will be in contrast, or comparison to another perspective or perspectives that are different from ours.

We are able to point to the differences, but not yet reject our own perspective. Because once we can elaborate our own perspective, we are able to use it well, even if it’s not appropriate or proper, or even fit to the application or requirements.

My RED CAR is the fastest car on the road, because I have spent plenty of money making sure the motor, transmission, and tires give me the best advantage available.

Assimilating
Assimilation has to do with beginning to bring other pieces not originally contained in the original perspective, including mashing up disparate perspectives so they don’t make much sense, to bringing in sophistication to the original perspective by adapting it with the new information.

Simply, transitioning a statement like “I believe that RED CARS are the fastest cars on the road.” → a perspective, too, “I believe that RED CARS are the fastest on the road because my RED CAR is the fastest on the road because it can win against any BLUE CAR, which some people think is the fastest car on the road.” — is a simple assimilation.

Coordinating
Being able to objectively combine or coordinate two perspectives simultaneously is a further use of perspective and demonstrates a different level of capability, almost always a more complex task, than the previous ways in which I have used perspective to describe capability.

Some believe that RED CARS are the fastest, and others have thought BLUE CARS are the fastest cars on the road. So I think it might be a good idea to test this by having all RED CARS race to find the fastest RED CAR, and all BLUE CARS race to find the fastest BLUE CAR and then having a match off race.

Seeking
Seeking a perspective requires a more complex view. It means holding one’s perspective, while testing that perspective against other perspectives, usually to make the held perspective “better” or more robust. There seems to be a difference when people are willing to “test” their perspective against other perspectives, knowing that their perspective may not be the best perspective, or most appropriate, fit or sustainable.

I will take my RED CAR and race against other RED CARS to see if I am the fastest RED CAR, because I have raced other BLUE CARS and I won.

Integrating
Bringing things in a perspective together and showing how they make your perspective actually more robust or not is a powerful process because it shows that the perspective has been tested and can stand up to any problem that you currently have.

My RED CAR, with all it’s new additions which I made as a result of racing all other RED and BLUE CARS is now the best RED CAR available.

Differentiating
What happens in this particular part of perspective is something odd, which causes the success of integration to no longer solve the problem, or remain appropriate, or even be fit to the circumstances. It is where abandonment begins to occur, and that the need for a new perspective begins to appear.

It might seem that consolidation after integration is where things remain robust and where anti-fragility occur, but it seems that new problems arise and the old perspective is suffering diminishing returns.

My RED CAR was the fastest car in drag racing, so now there is no one to race, so I took it out to a road course where ORANGE CARS are racing, and I realized that my RED CAR was no longer the fastest car.

Summary of Perspective
While these are all simple examples to help you understand what might appear to be subtle or minute differences, they help us greatly in understanding what is next and also how to scaffold a person with a particular perspective in transition.

We can use three states: an entering state, a nodal state, and an exiting state to define the three sets of perspectives for discussion.

Perspective:

In the next part of CAPABILITY DYNAMICS, I’ll discuss Subjectivity. Subjectivity gives us part of the language we need to discuss other components of perspective, and CAPABILITY.

We hope you pick up valuable insights, ideas, and tools during this process, which you can use for your own development as well as your work and leadership with others.

You, Me, and We @F-L-O-W

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