What’s your leadership story?
We all like a good story. One of my favourite things to do with groups of leaders who are starting out is to ask them to storyboard their leadership journey. We start where they are right now. They reflect on their current state, and come up with a narrative to describe it.
Then we leap ahead. When they’ve become the leader they aspire to be, what’s that narrative? What are the ‘big words’ they’d use to describe themselves? Just as importantly, what are the big words they’d want the people they lead to use when describing them?
At this point it’s all words, so we bring in pictures. There’s something about illustration that fires our brains differently. It opens up storytelling beyond the words you’ve imagined. It invites other people in to add their perspectives and insights. And - in the case of laying out your own journey - it reveals some of the hidden meaning behind the ‘on-the-surface’ challenges you can see.
I ask people to use picture sets to storyboard their leadership journey:
Where are you now?
What does the ‘future you’ leader look like?
What are the worthy quests you’ll contend with along the way to get you to that future?
Most storyboards are about 5 or 6 pictures long, and the conversations we get from them are provocative, inspiring, emotional, sometimes foundation-shaking. They also help people to rationalise underlying fears that usually sound something like “have I really got what it takes?”
The great thing about these stories is that they change as people conquer their varied quests. New narratives emerge, and many of the big challenges of the past become the curious travelling companions of the present and the wise storytelling and knowledge sharing of the future you. And of course, this doesn’t need anybody else with you to give it a go.
So what’s your story? Where are you now? Where do you want to be? What quests can you target that will get you there?
Have a go, and if you’ve got a storyboard to share, let me know!
My Potent Leaders Group Coaching Series helps people write and activate their own leadership story. If you want leaders who build teams that are highly accountable, love to stretch themselves and have deep connection and engagement, get in touch to talk about how this series can help.