Last weekend, I was hiking one of the most difficult trails in Phoenix- The Piestewa Summit Trail. It’s literally a two mile straight up (and back) rocky terrain trail. I had climbed Camelback Mountain here several times and I thought this would be similar. I was wrong.
As I hiked alone at dawn, there were several times I wanted to turn back. Not because it was too strenuous, but it’s that some of the uphill rock scrambles seemed dangerous to me. I was flat out scared to keep going!
About 2/3 of the way up, I came to a part of the trail I thought was too steep for me. I climbed part of the way up, waited and came back down. At that point I had to consider that I would not make it all the way to the top.
I waited. I shifted my gaze over the rocks multiple times. I saw how other people who went past me climbed that section. I looked at the particular rocks again from these different points of view (POV). I tried it again and accomplished the climb over these rocks on the next try.
To be successful in business, many times all we need is a different point of view. When I speak in front of large audiences, my goal is not typically to teach them something totally new or give them the answer to their issues. Instead, I want them to look at their problem or challenge from a slightly different angle and come up with their own solution.
Shifting ever so slightly can make a big difference in finding an answer. Making this shift and changing can be uncomfortable, but it can provide you the progress you need to keep climbing.
Are you stuck? Need a different POV? Just ask!
