Broadening Perspective through Zhuangzi’s Autumn Floods: Put Your Team in a Bigger World

On perspective—Zhuangzi ---- Why do we encourage teams to spend more time seeing the world abroad? Besides Taiwan’s limited market size, if a team feels wonderful about itself only within Taiwan, it may become like the self-important kingdom of Yelang, the River God, or a summer insect… The best way to broaden your perspective and outlook is to put yourself in a bigger environment and market, exposing yourself firsthand to greater challenges and shocks. ---- In Zhuangzi’s “Autumn Floods”: “The autumn floods arrived in season, and a hundred streams poured into the river. Its current grew so vast that, between the banks and sandbars, cattle could not be distinguished from horses. The River God rejoiced, believing all the world’s beauty lay within him. He followed the current eastward until he reached the North Sea. Looking east, he could see no end to the water. Only then did he turn his gaze and sigh toward Ruo of the sea: ‘There is a common saying: one hears a hundred things and thinks no one can equal him. That describes me.’” Simply put, the Yellow River God thought himself extraordinary because a hundred streams flowed into him. On reaching the ocean, he could only sigh at its immensity. He had assumed the convergence of those streams made him unequaled; the sea revealed his self-importance. The same chapter also says, “A summer insect cannot be told about ice, because it is bound by its season.” In other words, it is difficult to discuss profound principles with someone whose understanding is narrow. Time and space also shape that limitation. Often, success or failure depends on the breadth of our understanding rather than effort alone. That understanding depends on our environment. How far people ultimately go depends on their perspective. When we say great teachers produce outstanding students, or encourage associating with people better than ourselves, the purpose is to broaden that perspective.