What do you see in this picture?
A duck? Or a rabbit?
Try again - may be you can see both.
The sketch, over 100 years old, is an optical illusion but it profoundly exposes a fundamental human trait.
Different brains process the same information differently, thus reaching different conclusions.
There is only one truth. But we all see different, often contradictory, versions of it.
Because what we see depends on where we stand.
Our experiences, conditioning, biases, unique mental wiring - all have a say in constructing our version of the truth. We generally don't examine them closely. It's more convenient to live blindly with our beliefs.
But truth is truly precious and empowering, especially in a post-truth world where boundaries between fact and fiction are blurring fast.
It's worth investing in getting closer to the truth.
All it needs is a huge dose of humility - to ask, to observe, to listen, to reflect, and to suspend our self-interest briefly.
'Pause for perspective' - would likely be the advice from Prof. Neil Bearden who first introduced me to the duck-rabbit illusion back at #insead. Some lessons stay for life.
#truth #leadership #management #motivation