So, Hillary Clinton is running for president.
The theme of the video she has released to kick off her campaign is “Getting Started”. In it she lays our a vision of what she is standing for and why people should vote for her.
Whatever you think of her policies, this offers a good chance to test the seven core building blocks that make up the elements of a good vision in Chapter 6 of inner leadership.
How does Hillary’s campaign video compare? Does she include all the blocks? Is there anything she does that Chapter 6 has forgotten?
| ELEMENT OF HILLARY'S VIDEO | BUILDING BLOCK FROM CHAPTER 6 |
|---|---|
| The theme is 'getting started'. The style is low key. | Building Block 1: Speak with your own authentic voice. Building Block 3: Make it relevant for your audience. |
| The film begins by showing examples of what getting started means, in ways that relate directly to the various groups of 'everyday Americans' who Hillary wants to appeal to. | Building Block 1: Speak with your own authentic voice. Building Block 3: Make it relevant for your audience. Before Hillary even appears, the first two thirds of the video are dedicated to building relatedness. |
| The final example is a man in a fifth generation company. He tells us "This country was founded on hard work", and we see the back of Hillary's head. | Building Block 5: Relate your message to a higher principle, value, or ideal. |
| Then Hillary appears and tells us that she is getting ready to do something too: she is running for president. | Building Block 1: Speak with your own authentic voice. Building Block 3: Make it relevant for your audience. |
| "Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times but the deck is still stacked in favour of those at the top" | Building Block 2: Describe the reality of the current situation. |
| "Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion." | Building Block 3: Make it relevant for your audience. No doubt this will be expanded later, but for now this is sufficient. |
| "So you can do more than just get by, you can get ahead, and stay ahead." | Building Block 6: Define clearly the future state you want instead of the current situation. Again, this will need to be fleshed out later. |
| "Because when families are strong, America is strong." | Building Block 5: Relate your message to a higher principle, value, or ideal. |
| "So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote." | Building Block 7: Define some of the initial practical steps required At this early stage, the only step is to begin. |
| "...because it's your time and I hope you'll join me on this journey." | Building Block 4: Let people make up their own minds, but make sure they choose. At this stage Hillary is inviting them to join her, but not yet telling them that they have to make a choice. |
Only time will tell whether Hillary Clinton is able to win the Democratic nomination or the US Presidency. But in the meantime, it seems The Churning has identified all the major building blocks needed to articulate an inspiring vision.
You might like to use them to articulate a vision you have for your own life.
Having centred and grounded, identified your options, and chosen the one that is right for you, inner leadership shows you how to build an inspiring vision using these seven building blocks:
- Speak with your own authentic voice.
- Describe the reality of the current situation.
- Make it relevant for your audience.
- Let people make up their own minds, but make sure they choose.
- Relate your message to a higher principle, value, or ideal.
- Define clearly the future state you want instead of the current situation.
- Define first steps (and show that they are possible).
Chapter 6 gives more details on each of these building blocks.
