i can't see the old woman

​The other day I was researching binocular disparity – you never know what will come up as a consultant!  In any event, I was reading a resume and didn’t know what binocular disparity was, so I went on “the google”.  I came across a college thesis about the topic that contained the following picture:

​Basically, it means that two eyes see slightly different images of the same thing.  I tried and I tried, but I couldn’t see the old woman.  I looked at it from different angles.  I stood up and looked at it.  I walked away and came back.  I still couldn’t see the old woman. 
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The same thing happens in business.  We have different perceptions about the exact same thing.  We are convinced that our individual vision is clear.  It is so obvious.  Why doesn’t everyone else see it?

I clearly saw a beautiful young woman with a bonnet and white ribbon.  No matter how many times I looked I saw the same thing.  Even when I tried to approach it from different perspectives I could only see the young girl. 

Finally, something changed…and I glimpsed old woman.  I had to squint and concentrate but I finally saw her.  She looks kind, has a bump on her nose and is also wearing a bonnet, but it seems too small for her.  As I pulled up the image to write this blog, I still had to really concentrate to be able to see her.  My natural reaction is to still see the young girl. 
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In business, as in life, sometimes we have to work very hard to see the other perspective.  It’s worth the effort.