We hear so much talk about the bigger picture or the higher view, but essentially it is all about getting on the same page with where you or your business want to be.  It is all about stepping outside of where you are and taking a peak into the future, then working your way backwards to where you are at present.

Teams often struggle to agree on what that bigger picture might be and sincerely, I think that if you want to build a successful bigger picture someone in the team has to take responsibility for drawing out of the team what that bigger picture looks like, because you will have a higher level of success if people are actively engaged in building the bigger picture that they have been a part of creating.  Autocratic leadership works well in the armed forces but not so well in the corporate world.  Strong leadership today is all about empowering people to take responsibility for building the future they want to see.

So how do we get that bigger picture?  What steps do we need to take to arrive at a validated conclusion?

I think this process must be a combination of two processes:

1. Logical reasoning (Head led endeavour)

2. Intuitive knowing (Heart led endeavour)

If we lead only with our head, our end result will be that we are ultimately disatisfied.

If we lead only with our heart, we may be satisfied on a heart level, but our end result will fall short of where we could get to if we can balance both.

If we can find a balance between the mechanical and the creative, we will have a wonderful bigger picture that is both visionary and achievable.

In a simplistic way, the first steps in this process are to map:

1.  Where you are.

2.  Where you want to be.

3.  What is required to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

In seeking to understand where you are, this is an opportunity for open and honest communication.  I run an Empowered Entrepreneurs group and each person in that group has had a day when the whole group focusses on them and their business.  They are asked to provide us with areas to focus our attention on and provide feedback.  As each person adds their feedback there is this flurry of activity with people giving their external viewpoint and we have seen tremendous growth in individual businesses through this process.  We have also seen our group become tightly knitted together and I think it is that we are developing that group bond because we feel we have contributed something to each other’s businesses.

We must never be afraid to ask for critical feedback because it strengthens and refines us.  It also helps to build that bigger view of what our present should or could look like.

In seeking to understand where you want to be, this is an opportunity for larger and more expansive thinking.  Removing the limitations, opening your heart and mind to possibilities, immediately brings to you the tools for creative, visionary process.  Putting onto paper that bigger vision will also help all members of your team to know where they are headed and this becomes like a lighthouse or guiding beacon.  The more detailed you are about where you want to be, the easier it will become to know what is required to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

I think about my own life.  I have had a vision to be an international motivational speaker since my early 20′s.  By age 30, I had achieved most of the skills that I required to be confident enough to step up onto a stage and deliver a message.  But then I realised that you can be a performing artist and have a standing ovation in front of 15,000 people but still not have the skills to present a dynamic message as a public speaker.  So with the bigger vision in mind, I began training and getting experience working in front of people in a teaching capacity as a workplace trainer and assessor.  This was my next step, and this is all about Step 3 in my process.  When you know where you want to be and you know where you are, then it becomes a lot esaier to identify what you need to do to get to your end result.

For me I needed to develop my reputation in the community – notoreity is important in a public speaking business and is one of the reasons why I became a radio announcer in 2009.  I needed to hone my teaching gift – the ability to pass on knowledge in a fluidy way is also highly important and is one of the reasons I became a lecturer at TAFE.  I needed to become comfortable in a speaking role – the ability to “own” the space is essential if you want people to believe and buy into your story and is one of the reasons why I became a community leader by starting Women Can International Inc.  I wanted to step up into the higher level of thinking and grow my capacity so that I could eventually achieve my end result.

Stop and think about your life…about your business…

Take a moment to ask yourself the 3-step process…

1.  Where am I now?

2.  Where do I want to be?

3.  What do I need to get to where I want to be?

Once you have mastered this, every decision becomes easy to make in your business or personal life and requires only that you ask one question – “Is it going to help me get to where I want to be?”

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this, so please post a comment or share with your friends.