The Business Lesson in Pinterest’s Prediction of My Vision Loss

Moving house tends to unearth belongings you forgot you ever had. Sometimes, it’s a cringy outfit or an old photo that reminds you who you used to be. 

For me, a recent move unearthed an artwork I made before I lost my sight that eerily presaged what my life has since become.

We Belong Together 2014

It depicts me with my husband and two daughters, portrayed in a style that I copied from an unknown artist whose work had been posted on Pinterest. Our faces are overlapped so I am pictured with one eye also belonging to my daughter and the other eye also belonging to my husband. On one view, I don’t have any eyes of my own and I am seeing through the eyes of my family members.
 
How rich that symbolism has become since I lost my sight in 2016! My family have been an on-call audio description service for the world, filling in all the rich detail I am no longer able to perceive, and through my eyes they have been given insight into the frustrations and ingenuity of living with a disability.
 
Like the continuous hairline in the picture, the past few years have had their ups and downs and, if it is possible, we have been brought even closer by the adversity that we have seen each other through. Just like the title of the picture says, WE BELONG TOGETHER. Why? Because each of us is stronger and more resilient with the support of the others. All those shared eyes? They also share a vision of adapting to whatever life throws our way. And we know we’ll make it a reality if we keep supporting each other.
 
Organisations seeking to build a cohesive and resilient team would do well to build such a culture. All eyes focused in one direction with teams that empathize and build on each person’s strengths.
 
Could you bear to draw your team in this style?

What interdependencies would be highlighted if you did?

Never mind having each other’s backs. Try looking toward a shared vision through each other’s eyes.