And the lens of a camera helps to define that very perspective. But those of us not as familiar with the technical mechanics of photography may not be aware of the ultra-wide-angle lens called the “fisheye” lens. 

 

When I - in a former time as a very passionate teenage photographer - received my first fisheye lens, my day-to-day life was transformed. The panoramic, impossibly-huge images that resulted from a simple swap of a lens captured my imagination : how could a single snapshot portray what it was pointed at from so many perspectives at once? This sent me seeking far and wide for new subjects to capture, as well as for new ways to look at subjects I thought I had already mastered. With camera in hand I ventured to places I had never explored before: hikes deep into the woods behind my house, trips to mysterious alleyways in the city. I climbed trees and entered abandoned buildings. I became a traveler, a searcher, a daredevil, an artist. I was no longer a kid - I was a person of action and analysis. 

 

So when I decided to begin a learning solutions and design company, I knew I would have to incorporate that spirit into our ethos. I wanted to break from the mainstream and incorporate as many voices - and perspectives - as possible into our endeavors. We would not follow the old model of relying entirely on learning professionals: especially when the businesses we consult for vary as much as they do, that might as well be trying to fit square pegs into round holes. We would use a wider lens instead, searching out experts from a variety of fields who would work alongside some of the best L&D minds to create unique, topical, and holistic solutions for training, employee engagement & onboarding, facilitation, and team-building.

 

As we re-emerge into a new decade, and into a new world, we have many challenges facing us. But we here at Fisheye look towards the future through a wider lens. Because with a simple shift in perspective, a challenge can become an opportunity. 

 

You see, it really is all perspective.

 

Matthew B. Ferguson

Principal, Fisheye Consulting, Inc