3 Leadership lessons from the dress that rocked the world!

As the world went frenzy over "white and gold" or "black and blue", I could not help but wonder why it took us this long to realise that what we all see, is not always the way things really are. And all it took was a photo of a dress on the internet. Well done, dress! You showed us something that many of us refused to see for a long time - that what we see is not necessarily what we get.

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PHOTO: HTTP://SWIKED.TUMBLR.COM/

With millions arguing over who is right - the only one who knew the truth was the creator of the dress - or the person who took a photo of the dress. That is how life is. We believe what we believe and try to convince others of our point of view and we don't realise how futile our words are.

Given that our words are not going to make a difference (think of the many people who say, "I don't understand how it can be black and blue/gold and white" regardless of how you tell them it is), how do we lead or work with the seemingly different people in our teams?

First of all, we can agree to disagree. It is really not worth losing relationships over personal disagreements. We really do see what we see, and that's that. We don't have to stop working with the person simply because he/she does not see what we see. We have to live and let live. And if a critical decision is required based on the colour of the dress, as the leader you should acknowledge and respect dissenting views but remind them gently that as a leader, you need to make a decision based on your convictions because you are finally accountable for your decision.

Secondly, embrace diversity. How nice, because some people see "white and gold" after the dressmaker confirmed that the dress was indeed black and blue, the dressmaker announced that they will proceed to make a "white and gold" version of the dress. Why not see what opportunities can come out of our differences instead of harping on the difference itself?

Thirdly, if you really do want to influence others of your point of view, well, get the dress and wear it. And show the "real dress" to the people you want to influence. By that I mean, stop talking, walk the talk instead. Our convictions and beliefs are best demonstrated by the way we live and what we wear daily, not just what we say. And if, when we finally find the "real dress" and realise that it is indeed not the colour that we thought it was, it is best to admit our mistake, eat the humble pie, and know that even as leaders, we too, do not always have the right answer.