Second Sight

The Book

The Boy Who Learned to See

A Tale of Awakening What Makes Us Whole

By Dr. Sénamé Agbossou · Bondo Publishing

The Boy Who Learned to See: A Tale of Awakening What Makes Us Whole is a leadership parable by Dr. Sénamé Agbossou, published by Bondo Publishing. The book tells the story of Tala, a boy in the village of Kintoko, who learns from Makori, a wandering teacher, to see what is right in people, not only what is wrong: a way of seeing the book calls Second Sight. The Boy Who Learned to See is available in English and in French, where it is titled L'enfant qui apprit à voir.

The French edition, L'enfant qui apprit à voir, is the same book. A Dutch edition, De jongen die leerde zien, is coming soon.

A Parable for Leaders, Parents & Seekers

Summary

The Boy Who Learned to See is set in Kintoko, an imaginary village in Africa, where people notice the cracks in things before they notice what is whole. Tala, a boy who wants to be useful, meets Makori, a wandering teacher who asks the villagers what is good about their finest clay pot. Makori gives Tala three questions and begins to teach him Second Sight. When Matu, a quiet boy the village has dismissed, turns out to carry a gift no one had looked for, Kintoko has to decide what it is willing to see. The central idea of the book is that people grow where they are recognised, not only where they are corrected, and that seeing the good in others begins with seeing it in yourself.

The book has two parts. The first is the parable. The second, The Sight Within, is a set of reflective chapters and practices, with appendices that include Makori's Mirror exercise, a facilitation guide for the Gift Circle and the 30-Day Second Sight Challenge.

Who the book is for

  • Leaders and managers, including those newly appointed: for anyone who reviews, appraises or corrects other people's work and wants to notice what is working as clearly as what is not.
  • Parents: for those who catch themselves describing a child by their mistakes and want another way of looking at the same child.
  • Educators: for teachers who know the pupil labelled "difficult" and want to see past the label.
  • Coaches and mentors: for those whose work is to help someone see a strength they cannot yet see in themselves. The story and Makori's Three Questions can be used directly in sessions.

At a glance

Author
Dr. Sénamé Agbossou
Publisher
Bondo Publishing
Languages
English, French (Dutch coming soon)
Formats
Paperback and ebook (Kindle). No hardcover edition.
Main characters
Tala, Makori, Matu, Kombé

Editions and where to buy

Choose your language and your preferred way to order.

Coming soon

Dutch Edition

De jongen die leerde zien

Een verhaal over het wakker maken van wat ons heel maakt

Coming soon

ISBN: 978-2-931079-17-1

L'enfant qui apprit à voir is the French edition of The Boy Who Learned to See. It is the same book, not a different work.

The cover of the English edition also carries the line "A Parable for Leaders, Parents & Seekers". This is a tagline, not part of the title or subtitle.

About the author

Dr. Sénamé Agbossou is a consultant, coach and author based in Brussels, Belgium. Trained as a chemist, Sénamé Agbossou moved from scientific research into work with leaders and organisations, and created Obuntuo, a framework that focuses on culture, talent, identity and human potential. His work in hiring and talent assessment, in Africa and in Europe, has made one question central to everything he does: what do we fail to see in people? The Boy Who Learned to See grew out of that work and out of his own experience as a parent. He is also the author of The Secrets of True Entrepreneur and the co-author of the allegorical novel Fraggenstone.

Makori's Three Questions

At the heart of the book are three questions Makori gives Tala.

  1. What do I see in myself that is good?
  2. What do I admire in others?
  3. What do I see in my world that is possible?
Try the Three QuestionsWatch the free video chapters