This caught my eye in a small shop in Texas while travelling with a group of coaches.
It got me thinking about connection, perspective, and how rarely we’re actually looking through the same lens, even when we think we are.
When I look at it, I’m reminded that none of us see the world as it is.
We see it through our filters.
Our experiences.
Our stories.
Our preferences.
Our values
Our beliefs
Our mindsets
Our talents and Strengths
CliftonStrengths as lenses, not labels
One of the things I love most about CliftonStrengths is this idea:
Talents aren’t behaviours to judge.
They’re lenses through which people see and make sense of the world.
An Activator sees opportunity and momentum.
A Deliberative leader sees risk and consequence.
A Relator notices depth and trust.
A Strategic thinker sees patterns and pathways.
None are right or wrong.
Good or bad.
They’re simply different ways of seeing.
And when we forget that, friction creeps in.
What changes when we slow down enough to notice
In groups — whether coaching cohorts or leadership teams — I’ve been watching what happens when people take time to understand how others see.
Not just what they think.
But why they think that way.
When that happens:
- Assumptions soften
- Judgement loosens
- Curiosity increases
People stop asking, “Why are they like that?”
And start asking, “What might they be seeing that I’m not?”
That’s a powerful shift.
Connection expands perspective
As trust builds, people begin to share more of their story — where they grew up, what shaped them, what matters to them.
And suddenly:
You see how two people can look at the same situation and reach different conclusions
You realise disagreement isn’t dysfunction — it’s perspective
You understand that alignment doesn’t require sameness
For coaches, this expands perspective, helping them notice what clients can’t yet see themselves.
For corporate leaders, it improves collaboration, decision-making, and execution.
When teams can name and value different lenses, conversations change.
Seeing the world and each other more clearly
What this image keeps nudging me to reflect on is this:
We don’t need everyone to see the world the same way.
We need to understand how they see it.
Because when we do:
- Feedback lands more cleanly
- Conflict becomes more constructive
- Strengths stop clashing and start complementing
- And connection grows — not because we agree, but because we understand.
A few questions to sit with
For coaches:
Which talent lenses do you naturally see through?
Whose perspective stretches you the most — and why?
How often do you invite clients to articulate how they see the situation?
For leaders and teams:
Which strengths dominate how decisions are made in your team?
Whose lens is missing from the conversation?
What might change if you paused to ask, “What are you seeing through your strengths?”
Seeing the world differently doesn’t weaken teams. It strengthens them. And connection is often the bridge that helps us borrow each other’s lenses — just long enough to see something new and connection is often the bridge that helps us borrow each other’s lenses, just long enough to see something new.
