The skill of observation is one that will be of value to us in many different areas of life.
As employees, as leaders, as parents, as bosses, as humans … a keen sense of observation will be an asset to us in many facets of our journey. Even in the process of self-awareness, we need to develop the ability to observe things that are going on inside us and around us so that we can work towards enhancing the good things and correcting the not-so-good things.
When we are actively observing, our aim is to observe as much as possible, not just the point of focus in whatever is happening.
Oftentimes when we are striving to achieve something, we are focused on it. This isn’t a bad thing, in fact I’ve often taught on how to get laser-focused. What I’m addressing here is that there’s a lot more going on that we should be aware of than just the point of focus.
My experience has taught me that if we don’t at least occasionally check what’s going on in the periphery, it will impact what’s happening at the point of focus.
Another important part of observation is learning when to look for certain things. There are cues that we can learn that will help set us up to observe what is most important.
For example, when I first meet someone, my sense of observation is heightened. I observe words, tone of voice, body language, eye contact, degree of engagement, degree of distraction, etc. I know all of these things are important in any conversation, but particularly when I am meeting someone new.
Let’s think about how we can expand our scope to see more of what is going on, and let’s be deliberate about learning when to be especially observant. Let’s observe ourselves as we pursue our goals, taking the time to look around every so often to see all the things that are going to impact our focus or our outcome.
Integral Development Forum 