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Red Lights vs. Green Lights

Work for a Dream Leader? Or a Delusional Leader?

I once worked with a guy who was a master visualizer but a minor speculator. That was a major problem. Our team was constantly sent out to achieve unrealistic goals, and everyone on the team knew it but the leader himself. This was a serious waste of time and money. Worst of all? The delusions of this leader lost the trust of the team. Visualization with no speculation is a DREAM. 

I also once worked with a leader who was the opposite of the above. Everything was a red light. This leader was living in the anxious space of ALL speculation and NO visualization. Everyone had to justify every risk they aspired to take. This exhausted a talented, talkative leadership team; and over time, that bold team got quieter and stopped sharing its ideas. Speculation with no visualization is a NIGHTMARE.

So how can we inspire curiosity and experimentation but do so with a few embedded speed bumps? How can leaders go about realizing a guiding path for a realistic future?

If…

VISUALIZATION w/ NO SPECULATION = DREAM

And…

SPECULATION w/ NO VISUALIZATION =  NIGHTMARE

Then…

VISUALIZATION + SPECULATION =  REALIZATION

The path to realization starts with trust in your fellow teammates. I call this your Believership.

Here’s 5 questions to bring to your next Believership meeting to combat Dream’s & Nightmare’s:

  1. Can we truly speak freely in these meetings?
  2. Who in our Believership can play the role of “Visualizer”? Who can play the role of “Speculator”?
  3. Where do we aspire to be 1000 days from now?
  4. What road blocks might be in our way?
  5. What budget are we willing to put aside to experiment our way to success?

VISUALIZATION w/ NO SPECULATION = DREAM

SPECULATION w/ NO VISUALIZATION =  NIGHTMARE

VISUALIZATION + SPECULATION =  REALIZATION

Ryan Berman
Ryan Berman
Ryan is an author, keynote speaker, and the founder of Courageous. His book, Return on Courage, shows how during these courage deficient times, courage is a competitive advantage for those leaders who choose to unlock it.
Twitter @ryanberman | LinkedIn @ryanberman

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