I'm gonna give you three very simple instructions instruction number one identify your dominant hand instruction number two with your dominant hand snap your fingers five times very quickly awesome instruction number three with the forefinger of your dominant hand the pointer finger of your dominant hand on your forehead draw for me a capital e [Music] excellent this is an experimental technique that social psychologists have used since the early 1980s to measure what's called perspective taking the ability to get out of your own head and see things from someone else's point of view snap your fingers five
times quickly what's that instruction about nothing it's just a distraction finally you get to the part that the researchers really are looking for which is this there are two different ways to draw the e alright I can draw it like this so you can see it your perspective or I can draw it like this so I can see it my perspective put people into an experimental setting control for handedness make them snap their fingers ask them to draw an e what do they do do they take their own perspective or do they take someone else's
perspective if you drew the e from your own perspective it doesn't mean you're a bad person because what really matters here is context in general the more powerful people feel the more their perspective taking abilities degrade all of you are about to become more powerful some of you will begin drawing the e differently than you drew it today if you gradually lose the ability to see the world through another's eyes all the experience and expertise you've accumulated will melt into a puddle of unrealized potential but if you work to balance power and perspective taking you'll
become a more effective leader because you'll offer reasons beyond I said so for why anybody should follow you you will avoid what could be the biggest mistake that bosses teachers executives government officials and anyone else in a position of power can make and the mistake is this thinking you're the smartest person in the room if you think you're the smartest person in the room you've just proved that you're not believing that you're the smartest person in the room trust me on this never ends well remember the lesson of the e argue like you're right but
listen like you're wrong use your power but sharpen your perspective taking [Music]
