Eclipsing the perspective

Last night, across the UK, more than 90% of the sun disappeared.

To see it happen, we needed an unobstructed view of the western skyline (and a pair of those special specs that sold out days ago!). The weather was perfect, but the sun was already low: a building or a line of trees in the wrong place would eclipse the eclipse.

To avoid such catastrophes, up to six million people were expected to travel within Spain towards the path of totality, including around 460,000 international visitors. And, to be fair, they weren’t travelling for a slightly better version of what we saw in London. A total eclipse is a qualitatively different experience, as I remember from western France in 1999.

However, London did not miss out on totality because of what we could not see, but because of what we could. That sliver of sun eclipsed the eclipse.

We tend to assume that our understanding is limited by what remains hidden. Yet sometimes what is clearly visible. An urgent problem, an historic expectation, a particular individual. It can occupy so much of our sightline that we mistake it for everything that is key to understanding the issue.

❔ What is in your sightline that is stopping you seeing the whole thing?

❔ Who is taking up too much of your headspace?

❔ How is that impacting on your ability to lead?