Kathy and Vanessa were 2 extremely intelligent individuals who worked for a leading fashion brand in the U.S, which was known for its high quality leather jackets. They were efficient, smart, and had experienced a lot of success in their respective roles at the workplace.
One day, their boss Carla called them and told them that they had to fly to a remote part in China to conduct some research, which could help with the business. Kathy and Vanessa were thrilled to know that they had been selected for such a great task, and were soon off to China to explore some unchartered terrains. When they reached China, Kathy and Vanessa decided to conduct their own personal research.
2 weeks went by and the research went well. Kathy and Vanessa came back to their swanky office in the U.S, and were eager to meet their boss before making the final presentation.
When Carla, their boss walked in she asked both of them to sit down and share their research details and key takeaways from their long trip to China.
Kathy started off first, and went on to say that there was no potential in that remote part of China, as people did not wear clothes that were similar to what they sold. On the other hand, Vanessa pointed out that there was tremendous potential in that remote part of China, since nobody wore the kind of clothes that they sold!
Carla looked amused, and said “I am amazed. You both went and explored the same region. While you both understood that the people in that region did not wear our kind of clothes, you both drew different conclusions, based on the SAME fact. Kathy looked astonished, as she realized that even though she and Vanessa went to the same place, conducted the same research, and found the same facts, they both had such extreme opinions on what could or could not work.
So what is the moral of this story? Your outlook towards things determines your success. We always have ONE situation; however the way we look at it is what defines us. At the end of it all, how you perceive things is what shapes your reality. Good, bad, positive, negative, all these are different outlooks, but they create a huge impact in how we think and choose to conduct ourselves at work.
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