THE POWER OF A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Xenia Wickett - Wickett Advisory

When you’re stuck—looping through the same problem, overthinking decisions, or hitting a wall—one of the most effective strategies is deceptively simple: change your perspective. It’s not always easy, but it will always lead to better and more confident decision-making.

If you look at the ground from above at this time of the year in the UK, you’ll see little but brown earth stretching ahead. But sink down to the ground, and suddenly, you see green shoots breaking through the soil. Same landscape, different view. And with that shift in perspective, everything changes: your assumptions, your options, your actions.

The challenge, of course, is that when you’re in the thick of a problem, seeing it differently is hard. So how do you do it? Here are a few practical techniques:

1. Ask someone else. A colleague, a mentor, even an outsider to your industry. How do they see the issue? What’s obvious to them that you’re missing?

2. Step into another role. Play out the scenario as if you were a competitor, a supplier, or a regulator. What would their concerns be? How might they approach it differently?

3. Channel a leader you respect. Someone whose judgment you admire—whether it’s a CEO, a strategist, or a historical figure. How would they approach this? What principles would guide them?

   
   

The beauty of these techniques? They require little time—sometimes just a few minutes of reflection or a quick conversation. You don’t even need to act on the advice. The act of considering it is enough to unlock new thinking.

That said, there’s a prerequisite: an open mind. If you walk into a meeting convinced you’re right, listening becomes performative, not productive. True perspective-taking requires a willingness to be wrong—or at least to see that another angle exists.

Some might argue that this slows down decision-making. That’s rarely the case. Taking even ten extra seconds to consider why someone is asking a question, or how someone else might answer it, can sharpen your own response and lead to better decisions which will undoubtedly save time.

I’ve built my business on this principle—helping leaders shift their perspective to see new opportunities and navigate complexity. My experience across different sectors and cultures has reinforced one thing: the leaders who make the best decisions are those who are willing to see the world from more than one vantage point.

So, the next time you’re stuck, ask yourself: what am I missing? Then go find the angle you haven’t yet considered. That’s where progress lies.

Read further blogs by Xenia Wickett Here