Sometimes we say about other people "He doesn't get it!" OR "She doesn’t understand what it’s like to do my job." But what does it mean to get "it"?
A nice trick is to instead say "I don’t understand what it’s like to do what she does." The person isn't an idiot, probably. Just has a different view.
"It" is the project, the show, event, job, situation, etc. Imagine you are working on a project. You can view it in your mind as an object. Pick it up mentally. Spin it around and view it from different angles. Look at it like it's an apple or a tree or a dog. It might be an ad campaign or a concert or a news report but you can see "it" as an object.
There are others working on "it" too. You can put "it" in a room and everyone working can surround it. Everyone has a different view. The person standing next to you has a similar view. She can see almost the same thing. But the person 180 degrees around the circle, has a completely different view. He sees a side of "it" you don't. And therefore he has an understanding that you don't. It would look like this:
Now we can distort this image to make it more realistic. Everyone is not standing in a perfect circle. Some are closer than others. Some have their views blocked by clusters of others. Some are far away. Everyone still has a different view but the views are not equal. It would look like this:
Some people may have a poor view, but have a lot of control over the project. Power – or control – over the project is called clout. The more clout, the greater ability to control the overall vision. Some with the most clout may be furthest away with the worst view. And some may have the best view, but the least amount of clout.
Another thing to realize is that this project is not the only one. There are many other projects and everything is tied together. What's more likely is that you are working on this one thing today, but it's part of a bigger project, a grand scheme.
Now imagine many small projects like stars in the universe. And you can take the same images from above and imagine people surrounding each one. Now we have dozens of projects. And people are surrounding them all, and have different views.
Your view of this one project may be good. But your view of some of the other projects is bad. Inversely, some people who have a very poor view of the first project that you are working on, may have a good view of others. And a few people may have a poor view of all the projects, but they have a lot of clout to affect the whole thing. That's your CEO, etc.
Given how complex this picture is, you can begin to see how complex the world actually is. Some people have a decent view of all the stars in the universe, all the projects. They may be in the back, but they see more overall than any other person. That is likely the person with the most clout.
What's the point?
When working on a project, remember you may have a good view of it, and someone else may be impeding your ability to affect it. But that person also sees many other things that you don't. She sees a different view of this project, and many other projects tied to this one.
Also keep in mind that this project might be important to you. But in the grand scheme of things it may not be that important.
Now we can distort this image to make it more realistic. Everyone is not standing in a perfect circle. Some are closer than others. Some have their views blocked by clusters of others. Some are far away. Everyone still has a different view but the views are not equal. It would look like this:
Some people may have a poor view, but have a lot of control over the project. Power – or control – over the project is called clout. The more clout, the greater ability to control the overall vision. Some with the most clout may be furthest away with the worst view. And some may have the best view, but the least amount of clout.
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Another thing to realize is that this project is not the only one. There are many other projects and everything is tied together. What's more likely is that you are working on this one thing today, but it's part of a bigger project, a grand scheme.
Now imagine many small projects like stars in the universe. And you can take the same images from above and imagine people surrounding each one. Now we have dozens of projects. And people are surrounding them all, and have different views.
Your view of this one project may be good. But your view of some of the other projects is bad. Inversely, some people who have a very poor view of the first project that you are working on, may have a good view of others. And a few people may have a poor view of all the projects, but they have a lot of clout to affect the whole thing. That's your CEO, etc.
Given how complex this picture is, you can begin to see how complex the world actually is. Some people have a decent view of all the stars in the universe, all the projects. They may be in the back, but they see more overall than any other person. That is likely the person with the most clout.
What's the point?
When working on a project, remember you may have a good view of it, and someone else may be impeding your ability to affect it. But that person also sees many other things that you don't. She sees a different view of this project, and many other projects tied to this one.
Also keep in mind that this project might be important to you. But in the grand scheme of things it may not be that important.