One of the most fundamental aspects of leadership - and one that many leaders struggle with - is the ability to elevate their perspective.
In my day-to-day coaching work, I often hear from leaders who are struggling with friction or conflict with their employees. At the same time, I also have many opportunities to hear what employees really think.
“My boss only cares about himself in the end.”
“She pushes the team beyond its limits just to improve her own numbers and bonus.”
Employees are remarkably perceptive when it comes to recognizing the perspective from which their leaders are operating.
How a Limited Perspective Creates Conflict
Imagine an overworked and exhausted team asking management to hire additional staff.
What happens if the manager can see the situation only from the standpoint of personal interest: “If I add another employee, my department’s profit margin will fall, and that could hurt my performance review or bonus”?
“There’s no room in the budget. You’ll just have to find a way to make it work.”
When employees are dismissed this way, they feel more than exhaustion. They begin to wonder why they should even bother—and can quickly lose respect for their manager.
So what do employees actually want from their leaders?
When employees are asked what kind of manager they want to work for, their answers often include things like:
- Someone who works with them to identify where the bottlenecks are.
- Someone who helps explore ways to improve efficiency and develop new ideas.
- Someone who understands how difficult things are for the team and cares about their physical and mental well-being.
Elevate the perspective even further, and the question expands beyond “How can we make this team more productive?” to broader questions of leadership: “As a company, how can we support our employees’ well-being and create a healthier workplace?”
Leaders who can see the world only from their own position end up standing against their employees.
Leaders who elevate their perspective can stand on the same side as them.
The Ultimate Perspective: What Zen and Buddhism Teach Us About Moving Beyond Separation
The idea of “elevating our perspective” in management philosophy is, in fact, deeply connected to traditional Buddhist and Zen teachings.
One way Buddhism approaches this idea is through the concept of moving beyond funbetsu (分別)—the distinctions and divisions through which we ordinarily perceive the world—and toward a state of mufunbetsu (無分別), or non-discriminating awareness.
In our everyday way of thinking, we divide things into categories:
“You and me.” “Gain and loss.” “My success and the team’s success.”
When we view the world from a narrow, self-centered perspective, we divide reality into opposing sides and, often without realizing it, create conflict.
But what happens when we move toward the Zen ideal of mufunbetsu?
At the deepest level, you and I are not separate. Everything is interconnected.
When the boundaries we impose on the world begin to disappear and we recognize that everything is connected, conflict itself begins to dissolve. An employee’s struggle becomes something we experience as our own concern. A team’s problem becomes a problem we genuinely feel responsible for addressing.
We let go of the narrow ego that says, “As long as I benefit, that’s enough,” and instead seek decisions that are compassionate and beneficial to everyone involved.
This ultimate perspective—letting go of the ego and recognizing our fundamental interconnectedness—is one of the deepest sources of leadership that genuinely draws people toward us.
Elevate Your Perspective and Become a True Leader
The essence of leadership is not simply a collection of management techniques or practical know-how.
It is also an inner discipline: learning to let go of our ego and asking how high we can elevate our perspective when looking at our team, our organization, and the world around us.
Ask yourself:
“Am I looking at this situation only from the standpoint of my own position or interests?”
“Am I creating a division between ‘me’ and ‘my employees’ and turning us into opposing sides?”
When the pressures of daily work begin to overwhelm you, pause for a moment and imagine pulling the camera back—raising your point of view high enough to see the larger picture.
When you begin to lead from the compassionate perspective of mufunbetsu, the way you see your team can change completely. And your employees, in turn, are far more likely to trust you and genuinely want to follow your leadership.
I hope these ideas offer some inspiration for taking your leadership to the next level.
We welcome your thoughts on this topic, as well as inquiries about leadership coaching.
Are there areas where you are currently struggling with your own perspective or your relationship with your team? Please feel free to share your thoughts or questions with us.