How to Lead Smarter by Challenging Your Own Experience Trap
New Supervisors: How to See Beyond Your “Water” and Lead Smarter
First-line supervisors and managers—this is for you. You’re the backbone of your team: organized, results-driven, always ready to take charge. But have you ever had a day where it seemed like no one in your team was on the same page, small issues snowballed into chaos, and you couldn’t make progress?
The Trap of Your Own Lens
Maybe it’s not the team or the task—it’s your perspective. Margaret Mead, a notable American anthropologist said: “If a fish was an anthropologist, the last thing it would discover is water.” The same is true with us and our experience. All of us are wired to lean hard on what’s worked in the past—our systems, our routines, our way. It’s our biology, but it can blind us.
When we’re stuck in a singular perspective, tiny hiccups feel like crises. Recently, a decision I made at the office–sharing training resources–clashed with my boss's bigger-picture view. Emotions flared, perspectives split, and I had to choose: dig in or step back. I could get defensive of my position, assert I was right, and fight and die on my hill; or I could attempt to see things beyond my own "water."
It is a whole lot easier to do this as a subordinate--suck it up and give the boss what they want. But how does it work when it is your subordinates who challenge you and "the bigger picture?" If we allow ourselves to get unnecessarily emotional and tied to our position, we’re reacting, not leading. So, what are some tricks to discover our own office "water" and better lead our organizations?
Two Tricks to Break Out
Here are two ideas that will help you lead your organization.
1. Put Yourself in Their Shoes
It may seem easy, maybe even easier to say, but it is incredibly difficult. Next time your team’s perspective seems at odds with your own, pause. Ask:
- Why are they acting this way?
- What’s their perspective?
- What pieces of information would have to be true for their perspective to be correct?
- What information is known or unknown?
- Not about our own ego and being perceived as soft: It’s about getting smarter and getting the best information. In a world drowning in information, it is a new leadership paradox that you will not have all the answers. Embrace that!
- One perspective’s a straightjacket; two or three? That’s a playbook which actually reduces risk and opens the door to greater creativity and innovation.
You’re likely known for your good judgement, but this forces you to alter your focus to information gathering and not finding the fastest solutions. You see the board, not just your pieces. The world is not as certain as we would like it to be. So, we must fight for information to make the best decisions possible.
2. Deploy a Devil’s Advocate
Try this in your next meeting: pick someone to play Devil’s Advocate. Their job? Poke holes, question the plan, throw curveballs.
- Sounds chaotic? It’s not—it’s controlled disruption.
- You love structure, so make it part of the system. Rotate the role each meeting—instead of likely fighting the one person on your team who relishes the role, you are deputizing and giving permission to be wrong. How often are we afraid to speak up because we don't want to be wrong? This allows for structured dissent and creates an opportunity for others to riff off each other.
- Payoff: Your team spots options they’d miss otherwise. Plus, it’s a safe way to air ideas without "challenging the boss". Studies from MIT show this increases meeting effectiveness by 33% and reduced project delays by 36%.
One contrarian flips the plan—chaos now, clarity later.
Why This Fits Your Leadership Style Like a Glove
Your leadership style is likely a mixture of driving results and empathy, and these tips deliver. Engaging with and wrestling with others' ideas reduces blind spots and rework. The Devil’s Advocate? It’s a system you can run, measure, tweak—and achieves better employee engagement in meetings.
But here’s the kicker: it only works if your team trusts you. Build a team that knows you’ve got their back, and they’ll bring their A-game.
Test It Out
Next meeting—high-stakes or low-key—try one of these. See if it shifts the office dynamic. Your team might stop just following orders and start building something bigger with you.
- Got a big huddle coming up? Start there.
- Casual scrum? Perfect to test the waters.
What’s Your Take?
Have you ever tried flipping your view and won? Share below—I’d love to hear how this works for you.
Nathan Powell is a thinker, doer, and relentless tinkerer. Catch more at thenathanpowell.com.
Member discussion