Last night I was on a call with a group within my leadership community. We are a diverse group, and luckily we are aligned around what we want from and for each other: the possibility of having conversations we can’t have anywhere else. This is what we practice in order to grow each other as leaders. And this art is what we want to bring into the world, because it is of essence to enable the success of the great transformation which humanity and life at large on this planet are presently going through.
Authentic, wholehearted conversation, leading to brave actions for the common good, is the call of our time.
But more about that another time and back to our seed sowing process. Here’s what we did: After an initial inspired conversation about what’s possible when we stand together, we have plunged right into a prototyping journey, focusing on offerings we can create together and on how we want to co-create them.
However, last night we’ve taken the time to step back from task and talk about our vision.
What struck me so very different to my past experience of vision and mission creation at work, is how transparent, inclusive, and unlinear our conversation was. In our visioning kick-off, everyone shared what we see for us and what we can bring into the world together that is more than we can do on our own. We don’t have a shiny vision yet.
Instead, like my co-leaders, I will now revisit what matters most to myself, who I want to be, and which of my special gifts the world needs most. Our conversation lingers in my mind, and no doubt in meditation or waking up from a good night’s sleep, new insights will come to me. I will look for connections between my own and our shared WHY. And for sure, I will have more conversations along the way with different people, curious about each other, and seeking inspiration through whatever they bring up.
What I love about our process is that we naturally come from our own WHY to create a shared vision.
Because we seek to be driven, moved and inspired by the vision we create together. And this can only happen if the shared vision meets our own dreams and aspirations. This process also works for any organisation: A vision can only rise to be a driving force of motivated, self-led and responsible people if they have had the time and the freedom to first connect to what truly matters to them, their values and their authentic selves and their ambitions.
First we need to connect to ourselves, and then we can make the connection to others and the shared cause.
A vision thus embedded in the organisation can turn around a faltering company and make the shift towards a better future an adventure rather than a perpetual crisis.
