- Can you recall a situation where your perspective-taking competency helped you to be a more effective global leader, or a lack of perspective-taking held you back?
- Reflecting on this week’s content, what specific strategies or actions do you find effective to improve your perspective-taking in a global setting?
Examples
1.1. Can you recall a situation where your perspective-taking competency helped you to be a more effective global leader, or lack of perspective-taking held you back?
At my last company we had meetings with ownership about the status of project and how well they were progressing. Because this was my first job starting from beginning to end, I had no experience with site issues and could not provide any perspectives that would help out my team. This occurred a lot as I would have to hear leadership talk about the project and if any delay occurred I could not give any help from any perspective, since I was still learning. Now that I have two project under my belt, I can give better perspectives for my new job from a field and office point of view when issues arise. While at first it was a disadvantage for me, it is now an advantage for me and will help out my future teams going forward.
2. Reflecting on this weeks content, what specific strategies or actions do you find effective to improve your perspective-taking in a global setting?
I would say the strategy that helps improve my perspective-taking in a global setting is finding similarity. This is because if I find people who had similar experiences to myself, then I can easily understand their perspectives on certain situations. I tend to find this helpful when working on group projects in classes, as we have similar experiences going to school, taking certain classes, and having to balance work and school. While some members of groups in the past have been from different countries, we still had similar experiences that allowed us to work well together. The one strategy I would say I need to improve upon is having better social connections. Specifically work social connections. This will definitely help me out connecting with other groups better at my job and would allow me to understand different perspectives of different project types.
Example 2
1. Another situation where perspective-taking made a difference was during coordination with a UK-based partner on a sourcing project. We were aligning on commercial terms and delivery milestones, and from my perspective, their communication felt too informal and fast-moving. Decisions were being discussed over quick calls without the detailed written follow-ups I was used to, especially compared to German teams.
At first, I interpreted this as a lack of structure. However, after reflecting, I realized that their communication style emphasized flexibility and speed. They were comfortable making provisional decisions and adjusting as the project evolved. Instead of pushing for heavy documentation upfront, I adapted by summarizing key points after calls and confirming agreements in writing on my end. This created structure without forcing them to completely change their working style.
Ive also had the opposite experience internally. During a cross-functional project, I assumed everyone shared the same understanding of priorities and deadlines. I moved forward quickly without fully considering how other departments viewed the projects urgency. Later, I realized that operations and finance had different pressures and performance metrics influencing their decisions. My lack of perspective-taking initially created friction because I didnt account for their constraints.
From these experiences, Ive learned that perspective-taking requires intentional effort. I try to ask, What pressures are they under? and How does success look from their side? I also make it a habit to restate expectations and confirm alignment across teams. In global leadership, effectiveness comes from understanding not just what people are doing, but why they are doing it that way.
Example 3
1. One situation where perspective-taking significantly improved my effectiveness involved a machine build designed to increase plant capacity for this fiscal year. The project moved from near cancellation to an aggressive deadline almost overnight. My initial reaction was purely operational as we should have started pushing harder a month earlier. I viewed missed milestones as a lack of urgency.
As the project progressed, I began noticing burnout signs on the floor. Turnover had increased, and several newer employees were still developing technical proficiency. What I initially interpreted as slow execution was actually a combination of training gaps and workforce strain. Slowing down my interpretation allowed me to separate facts from assumptions. The fact was that milestones were slipping. My assumption was that effort was insufficient.
By asking clarifying questions and generating alternative explanations, I gained a better understanding of the capacity constraints the team was facing. While I could not change the overall deadline, I adjusted the project sequencing and increased personnel involvement to better rearrange the resources required. That shift improved buy-in and reduced friction.
This experience reinforced the importance of slowing down reactions, separating facts from interpretations, asking clarifying questions, and considering multiple explanations before drawing conclusions. In high-pressure environments, perspective-taking creates the space needed to maintain urgency without misdiagnosing the root cause.
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