Everyone Has Opinions. Few Have a Point of View.

Let’s start here: an opinion is easy. A point of view is earned. 

We live in an age where opinions are everywhere—scroll your feed for five seconds, and you’ll be served hot takes, strong stances, and click-worthy commentary on everything from AI to astrology. But a point of view? That takes something more. More depth. More discernment. More of you. 

So what’s the difference? 

An opinion is a reaction. Often quick, surface-level, emotionally driven. You like something or you don’t. You agree or you don’t. You repost, retweet, respond. Opinions can be loud, persuasive, even performative. 

A point of view is a rooted perspective. It’s built over time—through your experiences, your reflection, your values, and your unique positioning in the world. It connects dots. It makes meaning. And when expressed well, it invites others to see something new, something deeper, something true. 

Put simply: 

Opinions fill space. A point of view shapes it. 

Why This Matters for Leaders 

If you are leading, teaching, advising, or influencing others in any capacity—your point of view is your value. It’s what distinguishes your voice from the noise. It’s what lets people trust you, follow you, and build alongside you. Not because you have the most credentials or the sharpest takes, but because you have clarity—and the courage to share it. 

This is especially important in a moment like now, when so many people are in flux. The world is uncertain. Institutions are being questioned. There are fewer fixed paths, and more need than ever for grounded, human-centered leadership. 

People aren’t just looking for answers. 

They’re looking for resonance. 

And that starts with you being clear about what you see, what you believe, and what you’re building toward. 

James Baldwin once wrote: 

“The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” 

This is the work of having a point of view. Not just to express yourself, but to reveal something—to make visible what is too often ignored, flattened, or silenced. 

And Baldwin knew that a real point of view doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s born of context. It emerges from place, from culture, from struggle, from beauty, from pain. He was unflinching in his gaze and unafraid to speak from the depths of his lived experience. That’s why we still read him today—not for his opinions, but for his perspective. For the lens he gave us to better understand the world, and ourselves. 

You don’t have to be Baldwin. But you do have to be you. Fully. Clearly. Bravely. Here’s the truth: Most people don’t know what their point of view is because they’ve never been asked—or given themselves permission—to articulate it. 

We’re trained to produce, to perform, to respond. We’re praised for being team players, adaptable, agreeable. But cultivating a point of view means slowing down. It means thinking about what you think about. It means turning inward—not to disconnect from the world, but to better serve it. 

And it is absolutely a practice. 

It requires you to: 

• Get still long enough to hear your own thoughts. 

• Ask deeper questions about your work and your “why.” 

• Notice the patterns in what moves you, irritates you, energizes you. 

• Be willing to challenge what you’ve been taught—even by people you love. 

• Accept that your clarity might make some people uncomfortable. 

• Keep refining it as you grow. 

This is not one-and-done work. It evolves. But it starts with a decision to stop outsourcing your voice. 

What a POV Sounds Like in Action 

It doesn’t have to be grand or sweeping. Sometimes it’s simple, specific, but deeply true. For example: 

• “I believe leadership is more about presence than power.” 

• “I don’t think equity work is effective unless it centers healing.” 

• “I’ve learned that strategy without humanity fails.” 

• “I believe curiosity is more useful than certainty.” 

Those aren’t just opinions. They’re starting points for conversations, choices, and commitments. They can shape curriculum, culture, and coalitions. They help others know what you’re about and why they might want to align with you. 

What’s at Risk If You Don’t 

When you don’t claim your point of view, you default to someone else’s. 

You find yourself parroting buzzwords that don’t quite fit. You agree in meetings when you actually have concerns. You stay quiet to keep the peace, even when something doesn’t feel right. You build programs or partnerships that don’t reflect your values—and wonder why the work feels heavy or misaligned. 

Eventually, you may even start to lose connection with your own inner compass. 

That’s the risk. Not just miscommunication, but disconnection—from purpose, from power, from people who need what only you can see. 

Let’s not pretend this is always easy. There can be real consequences to speaking up, to going against the grain, to showing up fully. 

But the deeper risk is in not doing so. 

Because when you bring your point of view into a space—whether it’s a meeting, a keynote, a classroom, a community—you are modeling something powerful. You are giving permission. You are lighting a path. You are reminding people that they can do the same. 

And that, to me, is leadership. 

A Few Questions to Reflect On 

If you’re ready to clarify your point of view, here are some places to start: 

• What are the 3 ideas you find yourself saying again and again? 

• What do you believe that goes against popular wisdom in your field? 

• Where are you currently staying vague, and why? 

• What do you know in your bones that you haven’t said out loud yet? 

• Who or what has shaped your worldview—and how? 

• What frustrates you, and what vision would you offer in response? 

Write about it. Talk about it. Sit with it. Keep asking. Keep shaping. 

Final Word 

There’s no shortage of opinions in the world. But the people who shape culture, build movements, and inspire others—they speak from a deeper place. 

They have a point of view. 

So do you. 

Let it be seen. Let it be known. Let it be heard. 

We’re listening. 

Would you like this version lightly adapted for email or LinkedIn posting? I can also pull a 1-paragraph teaser or 2-line social caption for promotion. 

Cultivating Your Point of View 

So how do you develop a point of view? Start by paying attention to what moves you. What patterns do you notice? What do you find yourself returning to, again and again? What do you believe is possible—even if you don’t yet know how to get there? 

Journaling helps. Quiet helps. Conversations with people who challenge you—those help too. 

And when you do speak, speak from that place. Not from fear. Not from trying to sound smart. But from the well of your own wisdom. 

Because if you don’t tell us what you see, we miss it. 

If you don’t tell us what matters to you, we miss you. 

A Few Questions to Reflect On: 

• What’s something you believe deeply that others might not agree with? 

• Where are you currently “playing it safe” instead of owning your truth? 
• What’s the one message you want people to remember after they’ve interacted with you? 

And I’ll leave you with this quote from author Debbie Millman: 

“If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve. Do what you love, and don’t stop until you get what you love. Work as hard as you can. Imagine immensities. Don’t compromise, and don’t waste time. Start now.” 

Start now. Start here. And start with your point of view.