Which is better, this one or this one?

Just under half of the Australian population needs to wear glasses or contact lenses to improve their sight. But if you haven't needed to go to an optometrist, you may not be aware of the myriad of tests they perform with all sorts of technological gadgets - and what they can tell about your general health from your eyes.

But when it comes to prescribing lenses for you, it is less technical and a little more subjective. The optometrist will slot lenses in some frames that are either very chic or something a mad scientist would wear. Then they will swap out that lens, pop in another and ask you, "Which is better, this one (swap) or this one?"

Supporting your people to work on things that matter requires a leader who helps clarify the vision and encourages experimentation to discover what works best for your team.

You wouldn't just buy a pair of glasses made with the first random lens you pop on. Like a good optometrist, you work with the person (or team) who will be wearing them. Maybe you have some data to look at and have a good sense of what might be needed from your years of experience in this field. But you don't tell your team that these are the best for you without letting them try a few out for themselves.

Together, you look at some options. Build these together where you can and make your box of trail lenses. Now you have a few options to consider and haven't fallen for some form of lens-bias where you automatically do what you did at your last workplace or with someone else yesterday.

Now take the best of these ideas and try them on.

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Experiment. Come up with a way of testing your ideas out. Maybe you pop this lens in for a couple of weeks and then try that one. Or half of the team does one thing, and half does the other. Then share and discuss your findings.

"This one was better for me because... "

And if you are working on a group solution, you may all find a single lens (is that called a len?) you can agree upon. Or get to make some multifocals that suit everyone - just with different fields of focus when you need them. Or you'll create specific glasses for a specific use - this for the computer and this for driving. Consider if, in this instance, it matters if everyone has the same.

Doing work that matters is best achieved with a collaborative and experimental approach. Come up with a few ideas, rule a few out and test a few more. Know you will find some options are not going to be as good as others. But ultimately, when you've got the focus right, you can choose some kick-arse frames and make them yours.