When I was at McKinsey, one of the biggest reasons clients cited for repeatedly hiring McKinsey was: “perspective.”
Clients would say that the firm helped them see their own businesses in a new way.
At the time, this seemed like a somewhat amorphous reason for spending a few million dollars in consulting fees.
However, as I started serving clients in my own consulting practice, I started to appreciate what clients meant by this.
Opportunities that were hiding in plain sight suddenly become visible for the first time.
Tough decisions that had been lingering and people had procrastinated over for years were suddenly made on 24 hours notice.
When it comes to perspective, I like to borrow a phrase from the field of neuro-linguistic programming called “framing.”
Framing uses the metaphor of a picture frame as a way to describe the biases by which we view the world (in this metaphor, the world is represented by the painting that resides within the frame).
In all facets of life, the “frame” by which you view a situation makes a profound difference.
If you view lack of success as “failure,” that’s one kind of frame.
An alternative frame is to view lack of success as “feedback” instead of “failure” — it’s the same facts but an entirely different PERSPECTIVE.
In the last recession, I had a prospective client that was struggling financially.
They said, “We don’t know what to do. We are very good at what we do. Our clients and prospective clients agree we are better than any other providers. We have no competition.”
My reply was: “Yes, you do. Instead of using the word ‘competitor,’ use the phrase ‘alternative to buying from us.’
“From your prospects’ point of view, what is the alternative to buying from you?
“Answer: Not buying a damn thing from anybody.
“In other words, the alternative to buying from you isn’t buying from another company. The alternative is to DO NOTHING.
“Instead of thinking of competitors as other providers, think of competitors as ‘alternatives to buying from us.’ It changes everything.”
I helped them change their “frame” and perspective.
They immediately replaced all their marketing materials that showed how they were better than other providers. They replaced it with materials that showed how buying from them was better than not doing anything to solve their problems.
A simple perspective change AUTOMATICALLY implies all kinds of downstream decisions and actions.
This is why Fortune 500 CEOs like it when consultants give them new “perspective” on their businesses. A simple perspective change makes hundreds of smaller decisions simple and easy.
Here’s a potential perspective shift for you.
Whether or not you realize it, you are pursuing a dream.
The real question is: Are you pursuing your own dream or someone else’s?
Share your thoughts with me below.
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43 thoughts on “Deep Perspective”
Hi Victor,
Always enlightened whenever I read any of your mails.
Perspectives come with experience , vicarious or otherwise. Quite a general statement. What I couldn’t figure out is a general statement for one may be new perspective for someone. How does one recognise is as such?
Sayee,
That’s a tough question to answer. I find I like seeking out multiple points of view on a topic. Many people only seek out confirming points of view.
As you get accustomed to seeing diversity of thought and ideas, you’re in many cases forced to decide for yourself what you think. If you’re only exposed to one idea repeatedly, it’s much harder to have perspective.
Like anything it’s a muscle/habit, the more practice you get, the stronger/better you get at it.
-Victor
In terms of your question: whether we are pursuing our own dream or someone else’s? I think the answer is that it depends on your perspective (see what I did there!) and how you specify “your dream”. Suppose my goal is to be the CEO of a company. If I aim to be the CEO of a Fortune 500, I am ultimately working for a corporation and its shareholder’s wealth. But if I would like to be the CEO of my own company/business, then you could say that I am pursuing “my” dream. TL;DR – all depends.
Prav,
I noticed. 🙂
It’s perfectly fine for your dream (to be CEO or anything you desire) to be in alignment with other people’s dream. These are natural alliances and partnerships where both benefit from it.
-Victor
I don’t know Victor.
I feel like I am pursuing my own dreams but a number of people close to me seem to question the wisdom in my decisions, especially as it relates with starting my own business. I also feel a tad inadequate like I am still too young and inexperienced.
I don’t often voice these doubts but I wonder, maybe I should be listening more? And where do I draw the balance between taking sound advise and living the dreams of others?
By the way, I have observed that your emails have chirped a lot from excelling I. Consulting interviews to a lot more about succeeding in other fields, maximising relationships and new perspectives to life and success. Is this deliberate or am I just receiving a specifically targeted set of emails?
Lara,
Advice from others (including me) should always be taken with a grain of salt. You are the only person who must face the consequences or your choices (or lack thereof).
However, what you can do is to listen to people you respect and hear their concerns. If the concern is you are too inexperienced and if experience is needed to succeed, can you address that concern in a way that’s still in alignment with your dream and plans. So instead of taking the advice to quit because you lack experience, can you reframe the feedback as to succeed you need more experience on your team.
Try to separate the concern (if it is a valid one) from the conclusion.
-Victor
Hi Victor,
Looking at dreams within different frames, it’s possible to say that I’m pursuing my own dream as well as somebody else’s. In the larger frame, I’m living the dream given to me by my family, environment, standards and general level of current human sophistication. Within a smaller frame of this, I pursue my own dream, of making the most of my abilities in the time I have in this life. I try to find my own truth and generally try to be alive. How else to reply? It’s always about finding out who you are and working from there. Thanks for making me think.
Martin
Definitely pursuing my own dream. Thank you for redefining lack of present success as feedback for me instead of seeing t as failure. Thank you so much that truly helps me especially on a day like today. I would have called this day, a day of failure but now I am going to finish the day calling it a day of feedback instead.
Hello Victor,
Firstly, thank you for your emails. They often help expand my perspective on work/life situations and I have found them to be helpful even beyond just preparing for potential consulting career.
My answer to your question about dreams reminded me of a poem I wrote a while back when I was struggling with this thought:
But what is a dream
if nothing more than scattered thoughts?
To Chase after
like a leaf going down a stream
no real sense of where it will go –
so instead, just enjoy the flow.
And to be a bit more direct in my answer: my ‘dream’ seems to be rather ill-defined, so I don’t even really know who’s dream Im chasing. I think it’s mine…but maybe it’s just what I think my dream should be.
Nate,
You ask yourself in an interesting question. I don’t know the answer, only you do. Keep asking the question regularly.
Good luck,
-Victor
Hi Victor,
You’ve been knocking out of the park on your last few emails!
I tried pursuing my dream of a high growth start-up a couple of years ago – it crashed and burned. Now I’m starting at McKinsey to build up my knowledge, contacts, and cash reserves for my next attempt. Your books and resources were instrumental in getting me here.
Life is a journey, and hopefully, we’ll all make it.
Best regards,
Vikram.
How do you know whether you are pursuing your dream or someone else’s. Since the time you have taken birth everything has been primed into you. So it really doesnt matter whose dream it is, what matters is whether you want to do it or not do it, if you think its worth it. What people mistake for someone else’s dream is their own lack of clarity about themselves, their motivations. I dont believe there is anything such as my dream or your dream
For me, I am not always trying to take the road less traveled. I am not sure what my dream is still. I just tried everything I could think of to see if I could keep it up. I do believe the only way to understand the world is to experience it firsthand, not as a tourist or traveler, but as a local with a talent/motivation/hard work.
Currently I am very interested in startups and have really enjoyed my local startup weekend and week involvement as I could always see new ideas changing people’s life and meet creative people. Checking product hunt, hacker news and techcrunch, I feel I am more motivated.
I guess just take the risk and grab the chance when it is coming. Do the stuff when you don’t wanna miss.
Hi Victor,
I cannot thank you much for the enlightening and encouraging articles you publish. I really liked the “perspective”article and read it just before I was getting into an interview call for a Senior Pricing Strategist role. Hiring team valued my experience but felt I was the right candidate for another role at same same level of experience but was more suited and also gives me time to groom into the earlier discussed role. I was not prepared for this but took a moment to reflect, understand and present my “perspective” on how the team cared and planned to set me for success in future and continue leverage my expertise. I am hoping the decision is made soon from hiring team. Writing this just as I get off the conversation with them.
Many thanks and best regards,
Prasad Dethe