Leadership tips for gaining perspective

Naphtali Hoff, PsyD President, Impactful Coaching & Consulting became an executive coach and organizational consultant following a career as an educator and school administrator. In an article published on August 14, Hoff details a conversation he had with Brian Harper, CEO of Rouse Properties, a private real estate investment trust headquartered in New York City.

Harper, explained Hoff, is the father of 11-year-old Caleb, who at a young age, started to demonstrate genius qualities, such as his ability to memorize enormous quantities of detailed information. However, it soon became clear that Caleb was lagging in his growth motor skill and speech development, and subsequent testing determined that Caleb was autistic.

In his conversation with Harper, Hoff learned more about how this ordeal unfolded, the mistakes that were made, and the eventual leadership tips that emanated from the conversation. First, Hoff says, you should learn to gain a new perspective.

“It’s easy to get down when circumstances don’t seem to go our way,” he wrote. “Many of us start to see our glasses as half-empty and make excuses for our lack of happiness and/or productivity. When I asked Brian about the impact that Caleb has had on his family and role as a leader, however, he immediately began to talk about the blessing that his son has been to them all, such as their ability to become more caring and empathetic. There was no hint of shame, disappointment or wishful thinking, just joy, pride and optimism.”

Read the article.