The Illusion of Light & How Perception Shapes Leadership
- Michael Troxell
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
A few nights ago, Melanie, our son, and I took a peaceful evening walk on Daytona Beach. As we turned to leave, a warm orange glow spread across the horizon over the Atlantic.
The clouds were painted with light. The reflection shimmered on the waves. For a moment, as we watched the bright glow rise over the horizon (but still behind the clouds), it was mesmerizing.
It looked exactly like the rays of the sun shining on the clouds from below the horizon, just like those beautiful post-sunset skies you see after the sun dips out of view, that we all paused and stared in awe. Except that it was a little after 8pm and the sun had set behind us in the west.
We stood there, taking photos with our phones, completely caught up in the beauty of what we saw. It took a few minutes to realize that what we were witnessing wasn’t the post-sunset glow of the sun… it was the moonrise.
We knew the sun had set in the West and that we were facing the Atlantic ocean int the East. But our senses told us a different story.
When Perception Overrides Reality
That moment on the beach reminded me how powerful perception really is, and how perceptions shapes leadership. What we see or feel in a moment often overrides what we know to be true.
Our brains are wired to react quickly (a psychological survival tool), but that same instinct can create blind spots in leadership, relationships, and decision-making.
We hear a comment in a meeting and assume intent.
We read a social media post and believe it’s reality.
We see confidence and interpret it as competence.
We see success and assume it’s fulfillment.
When perception overrides cognition, we start acting on illusion, and that’s where mistakes multiply. Leaders make reactionary decisions. Relationships fracture over misinterpretation. Teams spiral from misunderstandings that could’ve been avoided with a single clarifying question.
And yet, perception is still our operating reality. We act, speak, and decide based on how things seem… not necessarily how they are. The danger isn’t that we misperceive; it’s that we forget to verify.
Seeing Clearly in a Clouded World
We live in an age where perception is currency. Social media feeds us curated illusions that highlight reels of success, beauty, and “perfect” lives. It’s easy to compare your real life to someone else’s filtered one and feel small, unseen, or behind. But those glowing “sunsets” often turn out to be moonrises… reflections of light, not sources of it.
Leaders, too, face this challenge daily: making decisions under pressure, with limited information, and surrounded by people who may be reacting to what looks true, not what is true. The goal isn’t to eliminate bias. It’s to slow down enough to see through it and manage it.
Here are a few practical ways to do that:
Pause Before You Pounce. When something seems obvious, wait. Ask yourself, “What else could this be?” The space between stimulus and response is where wisdom lives.
Ask a Clarifying Question. “Help me understand…” is one of the most powerful phrases a leader can use. It builds trust, reduces assumptions, and invites truth into the room.
Check Your “Light Source.” Like the moon reflecting the sun, what you’re reacting to may only be a reflection of something else: someone’s insecurity, fatigue, or fear. Look deeper.
Borrow Someone Else’s Lens. Invite other perspectives. Someone who sees the same moment differently can reveal what your eyes missed.
Let Time Do Its Work. Illusions fade with patience. What’s confusing at dusk becomes clear by moonlight. Resist the urge to decide before you can truly see.
Final Reflection
As the moon climbed higher that night, the illusion faded. The stars brightened, the air cooled, and we laughed at ourselves for forgetting the obvious… that the sun had actually set in the West behind us.
But that’s what perception does: it momentarily rewrites reality, and we follow its script until truth catches up.
In leadership and in life, the challenge isn’t just to see… it’s to see correctly. To know when your eyes are lying and your instincts are racing. To slow down long enough to ask, Is this really the sunset I think it is… or just the moon wearing its disguise?
If this message resonated with you or your team, and you’d like to explore how perception, communication, and clarity can strengthen your leadership culture, I’d love to help.
You can book me for a keynote, workshop, or one-on-one coaching conversation at www.transformationship.com.
Together, we’ll build leaders who don’t just see more clearly… they lead more confidently.
🎧 Listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MV8ZTWIJBdGuYe4xV4nSE?si=CWxjleCnQUmf6olLJTBnow
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