There’s a little girl in Norway whose name is Lela. She’s cute, smart, and curious. A bit stubborn, too. The others in the group didn’t readily accept her and, in fact, she got spat on a couple of times.

I liked her a lot. And I’m glad to have photos that allow me to remember our time together.

Lela is a llama. And, while on an excursion in “the land of the midnight sun,” I met her on a llama farm. The goal of our outing was to walk the llamas from their farm down a path to the grazing area. 

She was, in fact, new to the farm and none of the members of her cohort really took to her. All she wanted to do was to make new friends, it seemed. 

For that morning, I was her friend.

We walked along a muddy path. She hadn’t ever been out that way. And though I don’t speak llama-ese or even Norwegian, she and I had a wonderful conversation.

We’d walk and I’d talk to her, much like I’d talk to an almost-two-year-old child. I’d explain where we were. I’d offer her the opportunity to stop and to smell different parts of the path. She was quite taken by an old fire pit. The smell of burnt wood wasn’t anything like the fresh field, wet with misty rain.

She’d look at me with wonder. And occasionally, she’d freeze up, looking at me with some fear. There were sights and sounds that were new to her. I’d speak to her calmly. I’d let her know what it was I saw and that it was okay. 

There was a rushing river flowing by us. At first, she was frightened. But she took her lead from me and found wonder and even joy in the novelty of the fresh sights and sounds.

As I reflect on the time Lela and I had together, I found a few lessons to share – ideas you can apply to your own life at home or at work. 

1. Sometimes you’re brand new. That’s okay, you don’t have to know everything. The newness is a gift. Allow yourself that opportunity.
2. You might want a calm guide, someone to let you know it’s okay. I’ll often remind my coaching clients, just as they’re about to hit a breakthrough, that they can borrow my belief in them. 
3. Curiosity will lead you to novelty. That’s a mind-expanding place. When you’re curious, the possibilities really are endless. Practice getting through your day looking at situations from a different perspective. What have you missed in your otherwise day-to-day life?
4. How might you offer support to someone else, to guide them through a new experience without diminishing it with platitudes of “it’s okay” or imposing your meaning on any given context? This one is deep, take a second to re-read that. 

Lela and I got along great. She’s smart, curious, and pretty cute. She appreciated me and I certainly appreciated seeing the world through the eyes of a llama.

Stay curious. Stay open. Seek novelty. Be a presence for others, while leaving them space to have their own experiences.

Good stuff for individuals, parents, and leaders at all levels.

Now, go make your magic.

= Wayne = 

Did you catch my TEDx from a few years ago where I talk about the power of looking at things differently? Here’s the link to How A Parallax Perspective Disrupts Perceptual Bias. It’s got over Two Million views on it. Let me know what you think!