Frame of Reference....

So how does a frame of reference affect how you view the world? And should you try to change yours?

Frame of reference is a long known concept as a set of beliefs or ideas that you hold and on which you base your interpretation and judgment of what happens around you.

For example, I have very rarely had a permanent job, instead choosing to work on short term contracts and now run my own business. This means the employment history section of my CV is quite long!  Now, many recruiters would still see my CV as a problem, suggesting that I ‘job hop’ and can’t stick at anything….whereas others may recognise that I was an early adopter of the ‘gig economy’ style of working!

Or, perhaps, differing views of working from home especially during recent months. Do you or your managers see employees working at home as skivving off or has that changed since the pandemic forced us all into this? Maybe employees with home schooling requirements, didn’t see it as working from home, more as trying to squeeze some work in and around everything going on at home?

Then some of the responses I have read to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement shows the differences in frame of reference from those who have experienced discrimination to those in positions of privilege. And this is a conversation that would really benefit from some understanding of each others’ perspective.

I believe it is useful to try using other frames of reference, to see the world through others’ eyes, to see other points of view. As well as greater understanding of others, in work this can be really helpful in many different situations, including when having those difficult conversations or where there are bottlenecks in working with other teams, etc.

For a FREE sense check on your frame of reference or to have someone to offer an alternative view, get in touch.