The Illusion of Reality and What It Means for Leadership
As far as illusions go, the most persistent is the one we live in every day. The illusion that the world around us is real.
Solid, objective and unchanging.
It actually drives me a bit bananas. Because while I know this to be true, it is hard to snap out of it (p.s. this is why I meditate).
It is like wearing a VR headset from birth and trying to remind yourself that what you see is just a projection. You can read all the research, but when you stub your toe on a chair, things feel real.
Yet neuroscience, perceptual psychology and quantum physics all point to the same truth, that the world we experience exists within us.
Your brain, mind and body creates your reality.
What you see, hear, and feel is a best guess based on sensory input, past experience and some pretty sneaky unconscious filters.
Even time is subjective. It speeds up, slows down and distorts depending on things like your emotional state (I've got a really cool activity that demonstrates this!).
What This Means for Leadership and Business
Your team is not reacting to reality.
They are reacting to their interpretation of it, just like you.
No one ever sees the full picture, no matter how logical or strategic they think they are.
The way you perceive a situation, whether it is a challenge, an opportunity or a threat - it shifts your biochemistry, your emotional state and ultimately your ability to lead well.
The best leaders (I’d say humans in general) manage themselves first.
They treat self-awareness like polishing a mirror. The clearer they see themselves, the better they understand their impact on others.
They regulate their own state. Instead of reacting to every stressor like a thermometer responds to its environment, they adjust their inner conditions more like a thermostat.
They communicate with clarity, knowing that what is said is never as important as what is heard.
They build strong relationships by recognising that everyone is filtering reality through their own lens.
When a leader is calm and clear, their team feels it. When a leader is anxious and scattered, their team feels that too.
Understanding this shifts everything.
Better decisions. Stronger teams. More effective leadership.
And quite frankly, a more enjoyable experience of life itself.
