| "If I were to wish
for anything, …I should wish for a PASSIONATE SENSE of the potential......."
Soren Kierkegaard
I believe it was Mark Twain who said, “If there is a
battle between will and imagination, imagination wins every time.” Not the exact
words, and yet very powerful. When put into action, my clients find this a powerful tool
as part of their leadership practice.
A powerful way to focus your imagination is to embrace that
the success of your team is directly proportionate to the amount you can dream their
success. Use your imagination to focus on what is working well for your team, rather than
running the same old tape that perpetuates what isn’t working.
The Power of Imagination
Here is how the power of imagination can work. Last evening
my neighbor and I were having a delightful chat about a groundhog visitor we have in our
yards lately. He asked what the difference was between a groundhog and a hedge hog and we
had fun exploring it. I left for my yoga class and an hour and a half later was sitting in
a coffee shop sipping tea chatting with a friend in the glow of incredibly relaxed and
satisfied bodies from the sweet and gentle stretching. We were alone in the shop and a
gentleman came in, ordered a coffee at the counter and began chatting with the young woman
at the counter. I looked up and said – What are you holding? Yup – you got it,
she was holding the cutest little 5 week old hedgehog. I have never seen a hedge hog in
this part of the world outside of a pet store. The gentleman breeds them and takes a
different one with him each evening on his walk. He was so cute and rolled up in a ball
when on his back – when relaxed their spikey exterior is quite soft. So about 2 ½
hours after describing a hedge hog from my imagination to my neighbor I am holding in my
hand a 5 week old hedgehog.
Client Success
A corporate department in the midst of leadership changes
faced resistance in placing new management from existing employees questioning values and
corporate purpose. We were contracted to provide Executive Coaching examining leadership
issues and how those in the role of formal leader choose to show up – including
boundary setting, clear communication, humanistic-encouraging attitudes and behaviors,
creating a culture of acknowledgement and achievement. Sessions revealed that many of
these new managers spent their time imagining and speaking of challenges in moving up,
leaving little space to imagine a smooth transition where opportunities for positive
change could emerge. Our coaching plan built capacity in the new leadership team on an
individual and group level by exploring using appreciative inquiry and coaching techniques
to positively anticipate and creatively problem solve.
Coaching Point!
Once you begin to open to the concept of focusing your
imagination, you’ll begin to see evidence everywhere. Focusing your imagination on
what is working with your team helps reduce resistance and overwhelm and increases YOUR
creativity. Play with the evidence and it will expand – energy flows where attention
goes!
The next time you look into the face of a person or an
experience that is difficult for you, imagine you are observing grace emerging in an
unrecognized form to assist you in gaining clarity. Imagine how you would like the
exchange to unfold to benefit all participating. |
