THE INTENTIONAL LEADER

BY ANNIE FRISOLI, CFEE

CREATING AND SHARING YOUR VISION FOR OTHERS: CULTIVATING THEIR PURPOSE

So often, as we get caught up in daily checklists and deadlines, we forget that our team members desire to be driven, cultivated, and invested in, in order to achieve a greater purpose. Not everybody knows what they’re capable of, or how they’d like to develop over time, but as managers and leaders, we can help them figure it out. Instead of accepting employees or team members at face value, it’s important we take time to consider their abilities, goals, and potential.

Co-Creating Vision with Others

Developing your own vision and purpose for someone else can feel unnatural. It’s also difficult to understand someone holistically and put yourself in their shoes to discover what aligns with their own sense of fulfillment. And of course, it’s impossible to know everything about someone, so there’s plenty of guessing that goes into this process.

Thus, engaging them in the creation of the vision can be an exercise in boosting morale and continuing to develop your team relationship. A strategy I have team members experience in a training is to talk about what they identify as their strengths, NOT JUST the strengths they need to complete their job. Oftentimes jobs duties dictate what our strengths have to be, but really team members have much more to offer than what is required of the job.

In addition to having your team members identify their strengths, you too can begin creating a vision for others by asking yourself what skills you know they already possess, what interests they’ve acknowledged they’d like to pursue, what they feel good at (and bad at) when it comes to their work duties, and any other qualities that come to mind when reflecting on this person. It’s important for others to hear your perception of them to assist in building confidence and providing affirmation for their work, all to assist in co-creating their vision.

Designing the Vision with Others

When it comes time to sit down with your teammates and design their vision with them, it’s important to structure your conversation in a way that feels empowering and encouraging for them (as opposed to daunting or pressured). You might want to write down notes or thoughts that they can keep with them to reflect on, but it’s important to let them know what you see in them, what you see for them, and how you plan to help them get there.

Beyond this conversation, you can reinforce these beliefs by addressing potential and purpose with your team as a group, highlighting each person’s strengths and potential.

Cultivating Their Purpose

Investing in cultivating your team’s purpose takes effort, but it also pays off. You can continue cultivating your vision and purpose for others by ensuring that you’re checking in with them regularly to see how they feel about the goals you’ve set together or ambitions you’ve identified with them. You can continue to look for opportunities that allow them to practice the skills they’d like to develop and work through the challenges that you’ve identified as a good fit for them. In turn, your employees will feel invested in and cared for while contributing to the bigger picture.

Annie Frisoli is Founder & CEO of Creating Community, LLC. She hosts leadership workshops for individuals and organizations, staff retreats to build cohesive teams, and strategic planning sessions for teams and board members. She is a popular speaker and adds energy to any space she arrives. Annie (CFEE), is also a faculty member at the IFEA/NRPA Event Management School and serves on the IFEA Foundation Board. For more information: www.anniefrisoli.com

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