Are You Leading From Inside A Fishbowl?

Over the weekend, I read this article which compiled a list of unusual laws that are found in countries all around the world. Among the various laws that were featured in this piece, there was one in particular that caught my attention – a law found in the city of Monza, Italy which makes it illegal for people to keep goldfish in curved bowls. The rationale behind this law is that because curved glass bends light, the fish would be getting a distorted view of the world around them.

Now there’s little doubt that this is an absurd law, as goldfish lack the knowledge and awareness to comprehend the reality that lies outside of their water-filled habitat, regardless of whether it’s subjected to any visual distortion or not. But this got me thinking about how leaders, on the other hand, are in fact very much susceptible to operating within a distorted reality.

As we all know, there’s much that’s being made about the importance of ‘thinking outside of the box’ in today’s increasingly competitive market. But how many leaders are openly questioning whether they’re thinking about – or even seeing – their organization from outside that fishbowl we subconsciously build around ourselves over time? Of course, one of the difficulties is that it’s hard to know when we’re swimming around in our own personal leadership fishbowl, as there is this natural tendency in all of us to assume that we have an accurate picture of the world around us. As such, what we need is a point of view that exists outside of our own for comparison and review.

One way leaders can accomplish this is by regularly challenging their assumptions or beliefs; of taking the time to examine why they think a given approach is the right one. A good place to start is by asking questions like are we using the current approach simply because it worked before in the past? And if so, are the current conditions the same as they were or have they changed, making this approach no longer the best one? When new information is revealed, do I encourage its incorporation into our methodologies or am I insisting on sticking to what I know and what’s familiar?

In addition to helping you evaluate the relevance of your persisting beliefs, asking oneself such questions will also make sure you’re keeping yourself open to new ideas, allowing them to become a part of your understanding and awareness of how things are, and even possibly what they’ll be in the near future.

Another factor leaders need to be aware of is who they rely on to provide them with the insights and understandings of the goings-on around them. Granted, it’s only natural for leaders to rely on their trusted advisors to help them steer their organization in the right direction. But this can also lead to the problem of groupthink, where people end up simply reinforcing each others perceptions instead of providing accurate assessments of what’s really going on.

A more sound approach to obtaining those alternate viewpoints is to seek out employees and team members from outside of your trusted circle who are willing to tell you what you need to hear, as opposed to what you want to hear. An even better tactic is to provide opportunities for anonymous input, as is used in 360 degree feedback mechanisms, to ensure the information you’re getting comes from diverse vantage points that are free of any concerns over rocking the boat or challenging current models of thinking.

While writing this piece, I came upon this rather appropriate quote by songwriter/novelist Jimmy Buffett:

The best navigators are not always certain where they are, but they are always aware of their uncertainty.

As the leader of your team or organization, it’s important that you recognize that while you may be certain of where you want to lead your team, it’s not always easy to know what challenges your team is facing, let alone being able to truly understand the nature of the people you serve.

Making time both to confer and reflect on these aspects of your leadership will ensure that you have a clearer sense of your people and your organization’s environment, as opposed to the distorted perception that is created by operating from within a self-created fish bowl.