Story telling is a powerful way to get ideas across. We are genetically wired to enjoy them. The best leaders “manage by storying about” and it is a great talent to be able to highlight things through real life examples. This blog (link here) is worth a read because it touches on storytelling and why is is important.
“You did us pro…
“You did us proud pushing us to hold the funders to task”
Christchurch based Nationwide company
Often when you set strategy and start to execute it and make things happen it is very easy to lose perspective. It generally requires some change and with change comes uncertainty and a feeling that there is a loss of control as the company ventures outside the normal comfort zone of Business as usual.
Recently a client planned to change their whole business model and the way in which they make their money. It required taking a government funder to task and challenging the status quo. Get it right and things go to a new level, get it wrong and suddenly the company is relying on commercial funding. Either option has some risk but also presents new opportunity.
I didn’t do much except encourage them to be brave enough to back themselves and to execute what they planned to do. As an external trusted advisor, I was able to see they were on track, but just in the chaos of the change. Having less emotional engagement allows a different perspective. The Directors of the company pushed on with their well thought out strategy, kept going when things got tough and some really exciting things are now happening.
The learning: What got you here won’t get you there and with change comes opportunity.
Its a great feeling be making a difference which is the whole reason I love this role.
It All Starts with a great Vision: Mapping the Path Ahead

It starts with defining what success looks like! |
Any leader has to be able to inspire those in their team. We hear and read about this but what is the reality? People can and are not inspired by the past or present, they can only be inspired by the future. By definition this means that a large part of leadership is about defining the future or mapping the way ahead. How is this done and more importantly how can it be done with any confidence when business leadership today is so fast moving and dynamic?
Defining, creating and sharing a Vision is hard to do and yet it is of high value. Those leaders that live in this space of defining their future and the future of their organisations can truly inspire people to achieve great things. It gives certainty in ever changing times and presents a “bullseye” of success for which a team can aim. Most businesses don’t create the space to articulate their future so if you are one that does you already have a strategic advantage over your competitors.