The Space Between a Face and a Life

A small window. A much larger life.

Part One

Small windows

What we see shapes how we treat people.

An impression can become a decision.

  • Whom we trust.
  • Whose voice we hear.
  • How we respond when someone needs help.
A marble bust seen through an empty frame

Part Two

Einstein and the missing detail

Albert Einstein

1895

An entrance exam he did not pass

at the school now known as ETH Zurich

  • Strong in maths and science.
  • Weaker results in languages and history.

1896

Finished school in Aarau,
then entered the Polytechnic.

A result can show a weakness
without defining a future.

Part Two

When an impression becomes a label

One exam result

A gap in preparation

Something to work on.
Room to grow.

A whole person

A tired afternoon should remain
one afternoon in a person’s life.

Greater power calls
for greater care.

Part Three

A life outside the frame

A hand holding up a phone that frames a landscape

Imagine a short online clip

One person walks away. Another person is crying.

Leaving to find help

Refusing to help

The clip alone does not settle the story.

Part Three

The evidence and the story

What is visible

Someone walks away.

A real moment.

+

What we add

A reason.
A judgment of character.

Missing context does not prove innocence.

Praise and blame should match the evidence.

Part Four

The art of listening

Oprah Winfrey · Harvard, 2013

35,000+interviews

“Was that okay?”

Even Beyoncé asked her this
after a performance.

Oprah Winfrey speaking

People want to know that their voice matters.

Part Four

Making room for a voice

Two empty chairs in sunlight
01

Attention before an answer

Let the person finish. Put the phone down.

02

Space for a pause

Silence can give someone time to speak.

Listening leaves room for a different story.

Part Five

Embracing your true self

Steve Jobs holding a phone

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

Steve Jobs
Stanford Commencement, 2005

An inner voice still needs effort and learning.

Part Five

Curiosity and the work behind it

Letter shapes. Space between letters.

Jobs later connected his calligraphy class
to the typefaces in the Macintosh.

He kept learning

After leaving Reed,
he attended a class
that interested him.

The lesson is curiosity
and work, not a promise
that dropping out pays off.

Part Five

Yourself, with room to grow

Useful feedback

Points to something you can improve.

A fixed label

Claims to say everything about who you are.

You can change your work without handing over your worth.

A window, with room beyond it

A small window can open onto a larger life.

For other people. For ourselves.

Thank you.

I welcome your questions and different views.

Contributions

Our team