CHAT BACK: The empty chair

I have to admit that this is another one of those tales that I can’t recall where I heard it or whether or not it’s actually true. But that doesn’t matter because this is an absolute ripper and comes with a very practical lesson.

Often when we’re blue-skying ideas and trying to find creative solutions we get caught up in our own point of view and fail to see things from the point of view of others.

As a result we limit our thinking and may even fail to see opportunities outside of our own vision. A third person view of the world can very often make all the difference and so it’s important to see things from someone else’s perspective.

And this is exactly what the empty chair does.

The story goes that at Virgin’s head office, in their boardroom, is an empty chair. And the chair represents the customer. So whenever Sir Richard and his executives get together, symbolically the customer is right there with them. This way they are reminded to see things from the customer’s point of view.

Powerful Stuff.

Working with a client a while back I put this into action. We placed an empty chair at every table so as delegates worked through various tasks and problems, they were constantly reminded to consider the customers voice, needs, and point of view. As a result we arrived with solutions that were very customer oriented.

Creatively, the empty chair could be used to represent other people, such as your stakeholders or your suppliers if they’re opinions and influence is important.

Or perhaps the chair could represent a mentor or role model who can symbolically advise you and prompt you to see things differently.

So why not place an empty chair in your creative space and let it be a reminder to get out of your own head and into the head of someone else and see things from their point of view.