By Norman Jameson at NJameson@TheColumbiaPartnership.org
Download Fresh Eyes of a Secret Visitor
I once directed communications for a large non-profit that operated residential facilities across the state. When I hired a new associate, one of the first things she asked was, “Why is the dumpster on this campus not hidden behind a privacy screen of some kind? It is right out in the open and looks like an ugly campus feature.”
I hadn’t noticed – anymore.
I immediately realized my new asset was a fresh set of eyes and I asked her to write down everything she noticed that seemed odd, old or out of place as she lived and worked among these facilities.
The simple truth is that our eyes and psyches quickly accommodate things that jarred us earlier and we no longer see them. The peeling paint, weeds growing through parking pavement, odd smell in the basement classrooms, non-functioning light switches, cracked window panes, poor sound on the left side of the sanctuary, etc., all disappear beneath the cloak of familiarity.
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