Oftentimes when we are creating a vision for our company or organization, we think of the task at hand. We think of the work we have to do to create a clear and compelling vision that all can adopt and charge forth with.
Perhaps, some of us might even recognize that it's one thing to have the task of creating a vision, while it's totally something else to have a process for it. Most good teams know that process matters as much as task. The “how” we go about doing something matters just as much as the work to go about doing it.
However, there is a third element - perhaps the most important element - and one that is often most forgotten. The relationship of creating a vision. This is the “feeling” part of creating the vision. As soft as that sounds, you will not be able to create a clear and compelling vision without the relationship part.
Relationship refers to the inter dynamics of the team, the organization, the stakeholders, the board, the donors, the members, the community and the world.
Relationships, and I should say a Good Relationship, matters when creating a vision for your organizations because you cannot create a vision without being innovative, creative and ready for change. Brene Brown once wrote about vulnerability saying, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change."
Vulnerability is the ability to handle uncertainty, to take risks and most importantly embrace emotional exposure.
This makes sense. Are you more likely to risk sounding “in left field” if you trust the team you’re with and can be vulnerable around them? Would you mention the “unmentionable” at a board retreat if you trusted that the board members have your best intentions at heart?
How can we ask people to tell us their best, perhaps wackiest ideas if they can’t be vulnerable around us?
We must learn to trust one another and our insights, to lean in sometimes when it's uncomfortable, to be vulnerable with each other in order to reach maximum creativity and innovation for the organization.
Creating a vision, in the very essence of the word, doesn’t happen unless we can have maximum creativity, innovation and can embrace change. We can only do that if we create a space where vulnerability is accepted.
Here are some tips to create a vulnerable space leading up to a vision discussion:
It's important to start to "warm" the team up to the idea of creating a vision. When we prepare a client for a strategic gathering or retreat, we often encourage educational white papers, executive memos, agenda ahead of time, a confidential survey, and time to process before we start the retreat. Additionally, some of our more introverted, "thinker-style" team members need time to read, think and process alone before discussing in group. We usually start this process 6-8 weeks ahead of any gathering so that the team can begin to think strategically and so that they feel prepared (because when we feel prepared, not caught off guard, we can lean in and trust more).
Before the session starts, as the facilitator or team leader, make sure you go and purposefully connect with each person while they’re filling up their coffee or waiting for the session to start. If you’re new, introduce yourself and learn one interesting fact about each individual. This will pay out big time throughout the session as you call upon people to speak and provide input. You’ve already begun to build a trusting relationship before the session even begins.
Many times in gatherings we ask for open, vocal input. We are usually left with either the loudest people making the most comments or collective crickets from the group. Try more discrete facilitation practices like sticky note exercises, flip chart round robin, polleverywhere.com, dot prioritization or the use of a pre-prescribed survey and its results to keep board members active, participating, sharing and engaging.
Trust is a factor of competency and commitment. The facilitator and the team leader(s) need to continue to demonstrate acts of competency (you know what you’re talking about and you will lead the team through a safe process) and commitment (you follow the guidelines of the team like help/hinder lists, consensus building, the agenda and you’re not going anywhere).
A facilitator’s job is to swoop the wallflowers into the conversation. Asking, “what does everyone think” versus “Carol, I’d love your specific perspective on this” will draw engagement and respect from the team. Of course, from the previous exercise of meeting everyone one-on-one before the session, you have more of a rapport with them and they trust you more when you call upon them.
Share your struggles and express your appreciation. When working with groups on a vision it’s important to share where you’ve made missteps before or where you’ve struggled to see results. This is humanizing. A word of caution: there is oversharing and while you’re trying to be vulnerable with the team, they still have to trust that you’re the expert. This is a delicate balance of coming across as a guide on the journey with your team, prone to mistakes, but you’re still the expert guide. Additionally, get good at expressing appreciation. You’ve heard me say it before; we do not celebrate enough! The little thank-you‘s and acknowledgments of the good you see in others is important to weave into your session. If someone shows patience, kindness, or vulnerability, open yourself up to let them know how you see it and appreciate it.