Do you have a sense that there is a bigger positive impact to be made through your life and leadership? Does it feel like there is just not enough time or energy to think it through, get clarity, create a plan, get people engaged, and get into action? There are, indeed, many moving pieces.
It starts with making space for visioning and strategic thinking. You know it’s important to take the time for a higher-level view to see what could be done to create your positive impact. However, many changes and dynamics seem to make that near to impossible. What if it were possible? What would be different for you?
Firstly, you don’t have to do it all at once. Secondly, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Thirdly, you don’t have to do it alone. Sound good?
What if you were to start by carving out 1 uninterrupted hour out of your week? You might say that you cannot do this; it’s too difficult. It does take a growth mindset to make this work – a growth mindset is the belief that you can do it, that you can find a way, that you can progress through your efforts. Is it worth a try? If so, how will you make that 1 hour? Are you willing to let go of being involved in all of the things that are keeping you so busy? Here are some ideas to create your space:
- Create space on your calendar by blocking the 1 hour for your own strategy meeting
- Bow out of some optional meetings and, instead, get a summary from another attendee
- Delegate attendance for some meetings to your team members to support their learning and development
- Combine your many interruptions from others asking questions – texts, email, voicemails – into a scheduled weekly office hours session and let people know to hold their non-urgent questions until then
- Empower your team to take on more tasks to build their problem solving and risk management skills – coach them along the way
- If you’re not open to any of the above, ask yourself the reasons that you are not letting go and work on those
What would you do with the first hour? Getting clarity on purpose and vision is a good starting point. You could get in touch with what positive impact you really want to make. That might be while out on a walk, listening to inspiring music, writing, drawing … you choose! It might be looking at your team or organization’s ecosystem and stakeholders – What’s going well? Where are there gaps? What would positive impact look like from your perspective? What would you be proud to be part of in making it even better? Then what? That’s a topic for another post. Remember what I said earlier “you don’t have to do it all at once.”
Your strategic time is not about getting things perfect. It’s about starting somewhere, allowing yourself to think and dream big, and then to refine as you get more information relating to your purpose or vision. Perfectionism kills creativity. We are all creative and often we just need the space to let the creativity flow and our own permission to play.
Finally, you don’t have to do this alone. Coaching can support you in your creative and strategic process. A coach who understands your desire for positive impact can brainstorm with you, support you to reflect, help you come up with strategies and the things along the way that need to come together to make your vision a reality.
Ready to start? What’s your next step?
I would love to talk with you about the positive impact you would like to make. There is no silly idea, only the starting point for something wonderful. Book your complimentary, 30-minute Exploration Call, and I will look forward to our conversation.
Yours in creating strategic space for positive impact,
Jamie
Copyright@2021 Spark Success All rights reserved.