Focus on What's Possible

Fear is only useful if it keeps us safe from harm. Otherwise, it drains our energy - preventing us from moving forward in very difficult situations. When the way ahead is uncertain, clients often ask me: What will it be like when I get on the other side of this challenge? I respond that I know it will be better and easier because I've traveled this path so many times with other courageous clients like them.

When leaders navigate ambiguity, sometimes all they can leverage is their courage. That courage - coming from the heart - enables them to hold on as they inch forward. This incremental progress is smarter than leaping forward because the prevailing winds of change would blow them off course.

Courage is Contagious

I agree with Ben Zander...Leaders never doubt the capacity of the people they lead to believe in a shared vision. I also know that who you are as a person is who you are as a leader. So if you want to feel more courageous as a leader, ask yourself these big picture questions about the challenges you face.

• When I stop focusing on what's not possible, what possibilities do I see?
• Where is the opportunity in the challenge that confronts me?
• What possibility am I ready to live into?

Have your staff and teams ask the same questions - changing the "I" and "me" in these questions to "we" and "us." Notice the fertile ideas that emerge and the re-energized focus available to implement what is most likely to work. 

It's Easier Than You Think 

In our crazy busy work and lives we forget to feed the deeper parts of ourselves. If you're curious and fascinated by new perspectives and illuminating ideas, one easy way to do this is to watch videos from the TED Conferences - Ideas Worth Spreading. You'll find yourself thinking more vibrantly and learning a lot about what's possible when life and work enliven you.

The 19-minute presentation by anthropologist Wade Davis - National Geographic Explorer In-Residence - at the 2008 TED Conference is just one example. So grab a refreshing drink, sit back, relax for a bit, and enjoy this caffeine-charged brain trip to the worldwide web of belief and ritual that makes us human.