Vision: Wide Angle

Question:

How can I imagine, anticipate and care deeply about the effects of my actions on others outward in space?

Definition:

As children we learn that our bodies have a boundary at our skin. Wide-angle vision extends a person's sphere of leadership influence from "I" to "we," expanding his or her boundaries of concern beyond the skin. Our sense of self and our boundary of concern needs to be extended beyond our skin to include larger aspects of the family, business, social system, and natural eco-systems in which we function. Since we depend on these larger groups and systems, our relationship with them can be brought into our awareness with wide angle vision. With such awareness we can both monitor our relationship with them, and when needed, work to influence them positively. This quality is present in leaders such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and many unknown people who have made a difference for others.

What to do:

• Talk about and feel a concern for "we" and "us" as well as "I" and "me." This extends your sphere of leadership influence.
• Expand your thinking by extending your boundaries of self out to include ever-wider domains of concern.
• Say to yourself: "I am larger than and not limited by the boundary defined by my skin. I choose to expand my boundaries to include others."
• Using your wide angle vision will enhance your personal concern for and commitment to the groups you are in. This may include your family and church, your work team, your business division, your company, your city, your region, your country and even the whole planet.
• If you find yourself unwilling to expand your wide angle vision or if you seem to be with little concern for others around you, this may be a sign of an unhealed wound of some kind. If you believe that this may be the case, begin exploring how to heal unhealed values violations within you. These unsolved problems may happen at any stage of life. Unhealed values violations, whether within a person or within an organization, create a psychological infection that can fester and cause a variety of symptoms. You may be able to take care of the hurt by yourself or you may want the help of others. The victim cycle antidotes may be able to help. A good example of this sort of healing process is explored in the movie, the movie Good Will Hunting. The Matt Damon character as the one with some unhealed wounds and the Robin Williams character as the person who conducted the sessions to help him heal the wounds and move on to important aspects of his adult life—meaningful work and relationships.

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