The Lizard in The House: Perspectives on Leadership and Growth

"Perspective is not what you see, but how you see it." – Anonymous

Get that Lizard Out of Here!

I still remember our first night in our new house in Jakarta, Indonesia. We had moved there in October and had been living in temporary accommodations while awaiting the arrival of our belongings. After a hectic couple of days unpacking, we finally settled in, ready to start our next adventure in international living. As we sat down to relax that evening, my wife spotted it—a gecko skirting across our living room floor. "You've got to catch that and get it out of here; I can't have lizards living in my house," she exclaimed.

A mad scramble ensued as I searched for the right tools to corner this little lizard and figure out how to get it out of our house so my wife could have some peace. After nearly an hour of chasing, I managed to get the gecko in a box and took it to the front yard to set it free. As I explained the situation to the security guards outside, they seemed both puzzled and amused by my catch and release.

The next day at work, I recounted the "harrowing" adventure of the night before to my team members. They quickly replied, "You want the geckos in your house. The geckos eat the mosquitoes, and you don't want the mosquitoes—they carry dengue fever." Realizing that lizard chases were likely to become a regular part of my life, I was excited to share this new information with my wife that evening. 

This new set of data brought a significant perspective shift for both Lori and I. What once equated to Geckos = lizards = bad now shifted to Geckos = no mosquitoes = good. Literally overnight, the geckos went from being our nemeses to our friends.

Changing Perspectives

Perspective is a funny thing. Every day, we encounter situations at work or in our personal lives that can take on various meanings depending on the information we have and how we choose to interpret it. This week, I want to talk about five perspective shifts on leadership and career growth that helped me enormously as I advanced in my career:

#1 - Perspectives on Lateral Moves

Today, there is a lot of impatience for growth. Many people equate promotions with growth. In reality, my greatest growth came from taking several cross-functional lateral moves. Despite my own impatience during this period, these opportunities helped me gain the perspective and experience that ultimately served me during my period of accelerated upward mobility. Had I not gained that experience at the right time in my career, I believe I would have petered out quickly.

#2 - Perspectives on Blind Trust

There are many people I have gotten to know, respect, like, and trust to a degree. But putting blind trust in others, expecting that they will always have your best interest at heart in your career, is not a wise decision. 

You have to champion your own career. When opportunities come your way, weigh them against your own values and goals to ensure alignment. Ask as many questions as you can—and then ask a few more. Sometimes, we make decisions and ask things of people out of selfish interest. Even well-meaning leaders can act for their own goals, which may not always align with your long-term needs.

#3 - Perspectives on Ownership

Let me preface this by saying that I still have plenty of work to do here. But when I recognized that leaders don’t want excuses—they want action, ownership, and accountability—that was a game changer for me. 

We are hired to do a job, not just to collect money and benefits from a company. The expectation is a two-way agreement where we give 110% to help the company succeed, and they, in turn, will be fair to you. Nothing is guaranteed, so don’t expect anything. But if you act with ownership and integrity, it will reward you more often than not.

#4 - Perspectives on Discomfort

Growth only comes when you choose to get uncomfortable. When I was comfortable, I wasn’t learning. When I took on jobs that I wasn’t qualified for, tried to learn things that made me look stupid, and said yes even when it scared the life out of me—that's when I started to grow. Say yes more than you say no.

#5 - Perspectives on Mistakes

When I learned that it’s okay to be imperfect, to admit my mistakes, and to take the time to learn from them, that was a game changer for me. Failure, like discomfort, can be the greatest teacher. Failure gives us the data points of what doesn’t work, thereby getting us closer to what does.

Closing Thoughts

"Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change." – Wayne Dyer

Making friends with the geckos was a real perspective shift for us. My wife and I embraced our housemates over our two years in Jakarta. In fact, before we moved away, my wife had a gecko tattooed on her leg as a fond memory of our time there. 

Changing our perspectives doesn’t always mean we won’t be surprised or scared at times. There were many mornings when I flipped on a light, and a gecko running by my feet would make me jump, or when a baby gecko hid in my wife’s clothing drawer. But we had already embraced a new perspective on these creatures.

The same is true for changing our perspectives at work. We must always be open to new information and new ways of thinking about the opportunities in front of us. It’s when opportunity and perspective meet that we experience a greater trajectory of growth.