In this time of change, your ability to create inspiration is essential — both for attracting people to support your project and inspiring them to do more.
There is no one ‘right’ way of doing this. But every inspiring vision is built from the same seven basic building blocks. And the third of these blocks is to ask people to make a choice: are they with you — or not?
At first sight it might seem to make sense to push everyone to say, “Yes.”
But the more you push people to support you, the more you will have to convince them, over and over, every time an issue arises. This will sap your time and energy. And in this time of change there will be many issues that arise…
Far better to share your vision in a way that inspires people to make it their own. Then ask them to make a decision: are they with you or not?
If they choose to go with you then you know that you can count on their committed support, no matter what happens. Because now they have a priority which just happens to align with yours. And now they will be able to solve any issues that arise without needing constant reassurance from you.
And if they choose “No” then you have saved yourself from many future distractions.
The CEOs of Unilever and Apple both understand this. In recent years both have effectively told their shareholders:
“This is where we are going. If you don’t like it, sell your stock.”
They know that investors who are not committed to travelling the same path with them will be a constant drain on their time, energy, and resources. And in a time of global change, time, energy, and resources are things that none of us can afford to waste.
The same applies not just to shareholders but to managers, employees, customers, and anyone else whose support you need: are they on the bus or off the bus? Will they lead, follow, or get out of the way? And the more you can inspire people to decide for themselves that they are longing to travel with you through this imperfect, churning world, the more you will build a team that doesn’t question every step of the way but instead works to find the opportunities in every problem.
This is another step to making you, and them, antifragile.
In your work, and in your personal life, have you actively chosen the direction you are travelling? Are you and the people around you truly motivated to follow the path you are on? What would happen if you changed that?
Adapted from Inner Leadership: a framework and tools for building inspiration in times of change.
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Photo By Quinn Dombrowski via StockPholio.net