Creative Coaching

What’s missing from your leadership strategy?

Identifying and articulating a vision for yourself or your business is generally regarded to be A Good Thing. Frequently though, we find clients admitting they’ve not had time to do this properly, or their vision is languishing behind the sofa, rarely enjoying the light of day. 

Time pressures and the need to work in the business, rather than on the business, is the excuse most readily available to many of us. However, there’s a craftier phenomenon at play here which lurks in the shadows. CC programme director Melissa Mehta, shines some light on what steers many of us away from setting a clear, compelling vision.

“A rare opportunity to take some time and space to reflect and deliberate on yourself and your future”, is the gift offered to participants of “Creating Your Vision”, one of our ‘Leadership Legacy’ workshop sessions. 

Participants eagerly agree that clarifying their vision - a compelling and magnetic way of articulating why they do what they do - is crucial to galvanising others. Neuroscience backs up this instinctive understanding.

The theory is easy. The practice of pinning down a succinct, clear, compelling vision can be more taxing. We coax them along, via their strengths, passions, motivators and USP, and out pops (or grinds) their vision. The relief and the excitement is palpable.

“Yes, this is it. This is exactly what I want! I’ve never said it like this before. I’ve never been this clear”.

An avuncular, banterful associate partner of one of the Big 4 recently articulated his revelation like this:

“I’ve resisted stating what I want to do so clearly before, as I know when I put it out there, it’s going to attract some criticism. That feels intimidating. I really believe in this, and I feel vulnerable putting it out there”.

He saw, in that moment, that fear of exposure, of ridicule, of rejection, of failure had previously kept his vision in the dark, swaddled in vagueness and imprecision. And despite these concerns, he was now ready to set his vision free and make it happen.

This courage was built on the self-knowledge of his unique passions, strengths and motivators. That human factor is transformational. The process recognises our participants aren’t simply (very big) brains. Their hearts and guts have value to add. It’s this combination that results in a vision that’s too compelling to keep under wraps.

Being able to articulate one’s vision, the strong ‘why’ sitting behind whatever we do, has an irresistible effect on those it connects with. It speaks to our reptilian brain (amygdala) , shifting us emotionally and prompting action. And that is key whether we’re leading a team, persuading a client or convincing ourselves.

Time and space to think, guided by carefully crafted questions and facilitated skilfully to pull out the key nuggets of revelation, is a rare and valuable commodity.  “Creating Your Vision” is one of our favourite sessions to facilitate, as the transformation in participants is often striking. The scales lift and the world looks different to them.

The potency of the process does not dull with familiarity.  We’ve delivered this session to thousands of people over 16 years, and yet when we walk through the process ourselves to check in on Creative Coaching’s vision, it shines light for us too.

Our vision? Well, since you ask….  

To bring humanity to the heart of business – because when we look after our people, our organisations thrive.

Who do you know who is hiding their vision behind the sofa? Feel free to share this message with them. It might be the prompt needed to set their vision free.

Tania

Photo by Amanda Dalbjörn on Unsplash

Posted on Wed, February 08, 2023 in General Leadership Organisational Development Personal Development
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