What drives you and sustains your vision?
There isn't a person I've met or come across, even fleetingly, who has achieved some measure of 'success' whose courage doesn't pique my interest. Even those I don't particularly resonate with, or who have achieved something I don't personally value. I'm always curious; what drives them, what did it take, what sustained their vision?
Perhaps because I walk with my clients through their highs and lows. The disappointment of setbacks, the joys of progress and the personal risks they've taken, with every micro-step keeping their vision alive. The not giving up, being creative and resilient and doing the right thing in the face of an integrity-challenging 'quick win'. And the time it actually takes to get there. It's always messy in the middle.
And the measure of success or risk? In each case, it's rooted in self-knowledge, often overcoming something deeply personal. Fears, beliefs and past defeats, which have a way of hindering progress, are unearthed and steadily replaced with new lenses that support the future they are actively creating. Kalil Gibran's poem "Defeat" comes to mind.
Defeat, my Defeat, my solitude and my aloofness;
You are dearer to me than a thousand triumphs,
And sweeter to my heart than all world-glory.
...
Defeat, my Defeat, my bold companion,
You shall hear my songs and my cries and my silences,
And none but you shall speak to me of the beating of wings,
And urging of seas,
And of mountains that burn in the night,
And you alone shall climb my steep and rocky soul.
The Futures Triangle
One of my favourite tools that supports leaders and teams to make better decisions and realise their vision is The Futures Triangle, a foresight method developed by Professor Sohail Inayatullah.
It allows us to pinpoint plausible futures that emerge from the riptide between three pushing and pulling corners, each with its own distinct set of drivers and constraints. The balance of influence between these forces determines a potential, plausible future. When the power of one force shifts, it alters the dynamics of the entire triangle, leading to a possible change in the trajectory of the plausible future.
The pull of the future represents the driving forces, visions and aspirations that attract us towards specific future possibilities.
The push of the present refers to our current context – factors, challenges and conditions that influence and shape the trajectory of the future.
The weight of the past represents the historical personal, cultural and institutional legacies that constrain and shape our perceptions and actions towards the future.
This way of unpacking the three elements at play in any situation, allows us to bring to light and acknowledge our perceptions about the past, present and future, and let go of anything that may be inadvertently getting in the way of building the future we desire.
Get in touch if you'd like to develop your or your team's thinking to sustain your vision, and shape the future you desire.