The Nature of an Appreciative Perspective
Understanding
- Appreciating the context within which another person or organization is operating (“walking in their shoes”)
- Seeking deeper levels of meaning in the messages given by other people (what we focus on becomes our reality)
- Finding compassion for, but not merging with, another person’s or organization’s problems or identity {standing for but not taking the place of—ensuring no distraction from other person’s presence with the problem)
Valuing Another Point of View
- Looking at the world from the perspective of another person, group or organization (valuing differences)
- Providing articulate admiration (appraising worth from an outside point of reference)
- Identifying the nature and power of alternative narratives (the language we use to create our reality)
Recognizing Contributions
- Acknowledging the distinctive, unacknowledged impact of other people (“wind beneath my wings”)
- Identifying and celebrating past efforts and achievement before undertaking new challenges (we should bring along the best of the past when journeying into the future—provides both direction and motivation)
- Establishing an ongoing mutuality of respect, including rituals of recognition and respect (“celebrating what’s right with the world!”)
Vision: A Compelling Image of the Future
- Investing oneself and other people with a compelling sense of hope/optimism (reality is created in the moment and there are multiple realities)
- Balancing a concern for “what is” (reality) with attention to “what could be” (ideal) (balancing challenge and support)
- Identifying ways all parts of system can contribute to a compelling future (collaborating into the future:” it takes a village”)
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