BY ROWENA CROSBIE, president, Tero International

If you stand on the ocean shore and gaze into the distance, it’s easy to imagine why early explorers thought the world was flat. They couldn’t see far enough to know it was round.

It’s easy for us to do the same.

A leader is convinced an employee lacks initiative and filters out examples of proactive behavior. A team clings to a process even as innovation signals the need for change. One student is labeled the responsible one and another is the dreamer.

In each case, people aren’t lacking intelligence. Like the early explorers, we draw conclusions from what’s immediately visible and build stories from our small slice of reality.

Which brings us back to Earth. The world isn’t flat. It also isn’t perfectly round. It’s an oblate spheroid, slightly flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator. It also isn’t smooth. Ask anyone who has visited a mountain range.

Reality is always more nuanced than our impressions. The shoreline only shows part of the ocean. Don’t mistake your view for the whole story. Choose to stay curious, ask questions and seek more perspectives.