LEADERSHIP IN ACTION: PRACTICE 2 (INSPIRE A SHARED VISION) (40 points)
Name: _______________________________________
Practice 2 is INSPIRE A SHARED VISION and has 2 commitments:
- Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities.
- Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.
Part One – Reframing (20 points)
Warning: This activity is ambiguous and some of us may find difficult. That is ok. This is a GROWTH exercise and there is no right/wrong way to do it.
To prepare for this assignment, watch the 2 posted videos:
(a) Overview of Practice 2 – Inspire a Shared Vision
(b) A TedTalk by DeWitt Jones about the power of framing, creating a vision, and communicating that vision.
Practice 2 is INSPIRE A SHARED VISION and has 2 commitments:
- Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities.
- Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.
Part One of the Growth Assignment focuses on the first commitment and will borrow from Mr. Jones’ message of reframing. Lately, it seems, it is hard to see the good in the world. Whether it is the state of our country, the current war, devastation causes by weather, violence, etc. I want you to take something that often gets you down – something that you think about more often than the other many things.
- Describe that “thing” here. Use lots of adjectives and descriptive terms.
- What emotions or negative feelings does that “thing” bring to mind. Jot some of those things here.
- Reframing.
Next, practice reframing this “thing” to find genuine positives. Search within this issue/event/situation, to find real positives. These are positives that are deeper understandings or lessons or evidence of humanity or growth. You want to reframe the “thing” in a way you see the beauty within it.
I keep stressing on finding the genuine and real positives. I know we all know of people that are positive no matter what happens in life. Sometimes they seem phoney or unrealistic.
Describe the “reframed” thing here. Use lots of adjectives and descriptive terms.
- Finally, share that “reframed” issue in a way that it becomes a VISION for you and perhaps others. How you know see that issue/situation/event in a different way that it sparks a positive response in you rather than the previous negative feelings/response. You can draw a picture of the new vision if you prefer.
- Reflection. How did this activity impact you? I would expect it was difficult for most of us. That is ok. This is a GROWTH exercise. I’m also open to suggestions that you may share with me here.
Part Two – Pick one of the Following (20 points). Repeat, you only have to do one of the following.
For this Leadership in Action, we will focus on “enlisting others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.”
For this Leadership in Action assignment, choose 1 of the following options:
- Think about an organization or group that you are a member of that is struggling right now to see any positives in the future. Covid and the changes it has caused has really challenged organizations and individuals and it is hard to find or see the future. That is why organizations/individuals need a vision to guide us through difficult times or from being indifferent to focus on the future or how we fit into that future.
Think about what that vision should be for the short term (now – 1 or 2 years forward). Create that vision using powerful, impactful words, images, etc. to convey that vision to others.
Then share that vision with others either in person or share on a forum to get a reaction/dialogue.
Explain the process you used, your vision, how you shared it, impact to it, and what happened next.
- Perhaps you are part of a group/team/organization and you believe that the group of you developing a shared vision would have some positive impact on the organization. Facilitate the group/team/organization coming together to develop a shared vision. What tools will you use to facilitate discussion and the coming together? Explain your planning, what happened when you came together, outcome of the coming together, and what happened next? What worked and what would you do differently next time?
- Perhaps you are part of an organization or group that has a strong vision that on paper seems to be appropriate and great for the times. The challenge is that most do not know about it or are using it to guide them forward. Your focus will be on using the tools we discussed to better communicate/share the vision with others with the goal of getting people to integrate this vision into their own. What is your plan for getting others to “share” this vision – to really own it as their own? What do you do? What was the impact of your actions? What did you learn from trying to get others to buy into the vision?
- Your Personal Leadership Philosophy is a vision for how you want to lead. Think about how you will share that vision with others and get them to embrace it. Use your LinkedIn page as a platform for communicating the vision to others. Of course, you can say “here is my leadership philosophy” but what else can you do? In your bio, do you tell a story that relates to your leadership vision? Do you link to articles or outside sources that represent this vision? Look at your word choice in your bio and resume. Do the words you choose reflect this vision? Do pictures on your site also relate to this vision? Show me a before and after Linked In page. Highlight what you changed and why you did so to communicate your leadership vision with others.
- Design your own activity that is similar to the above. The outcomes of the activity are to practice SHARING a vision AND/OR working with others to create a SHARED vision.