I Can See!

Well, it’s been a week since my eye exam and boy oh boy was I in for a real surprise. My prescription only changed a little and is now -1.75 in one eye and -1.50 in the other, but since I neglected to get an exam for so long, learning to adjust to a new level of vision has been huge.

I’m not much of a contact lens wearer because I feel like I spend more time putting them in my eyes then I do wearing them in my eyes. Typically, after wearing them for two or three hours I start feeling some discomfort and find myself reaching for my glasses. So really, why bother putting them on, right? But even when I do wear them, I only wear one contact lens because wearing both contact lenses mean not being able to see at all, up close.

I get asked all the time if it feels weird to only wear one lens. Yes. A little. You have to adjust to having one super eye and one weak eye. But the adjustment doesn’t take very long, so it’s really not a big deal…during the day. However, wearing one lens at night is a completely different story. And as I found out, is a very big deal. In the dark, everything seemed off kilter. The streetlights, and the headlights from the cars, kept me feeling shifty and cock-eyed the entire commute. It took me much longer to adjust, if I ever really adjusted at all during my entire drive home. I was thankful that my commute wasn’t very long.

This week I was finally able to pick up the eyeglasses I ordered, and when I put them on, it was amazing how much clearer I was able to see. My vision increased and now I am not only able to see, but I almost feel like I have bionic vision, I can see so clearly and so very far away. Of course, as I was adjusting to my newly corrected eyesight, I couldn’t help but to think about the many managers who are, proverbially, only wearing one lens…at night. They have sight, but it’s not crystal clear. Their vision is a bit blurry. It feels shifty and is keeping them off balance. They can see just clearly enough to get by temporarily. The managers of which I speak are managers who aren’t completely aware of what’s going on in their part of the organization. Oh, they think they are, until someone outside of their department shares information that they should’ve already known. Or a direct report is able to respond to a more senior level manager, when they were unable to do so themselves. These managers aren’t aware that they would see so much better if they were wearing both corrective lenses.

Employees increase the manager’s vision, so a good relationship with employees is a manager’s corrective lens. Relationships are a give and take of inquiry, giving information and listening, which all helps build trust. And the better the relationship, the clearer a manager sees. Primarily because employees who feel connected to their managers are more likely to share information; keeping their manager abreast of what’s going on in the organization. They also feel less apprehensive about relaying news that may not always be as favorable as the manager would like to hear. So managers, put on both contact lenses, you’ll be able to see what’s going on in your organization/department much better. And the more you can see, the better you’ll be able to make decisions, which can lead to greater levels of success.