Create a compelling vision for your life.
When it comes to your life, how clear are you about what you are supposed to be doing and how you are performing against expectations?
Image credit: Robin Stevenson
Hello fellow Enablers,
I had a one to one with an experienced senior leader today.
His performance and capabilities have been reviewed and assessed and he has been told that he has been identified as having the potential to take on more responsibility and step up to the most senior level within his organisation.
Understandably, he wants to capitalise on his position and make sure that he is first in line to secure that promotion when the opportunity arises. He was interested in my thoughts on how he might best go about that.
I gave him my genuine congratulations, because this is an exciting and well deserved position that he finds himself in.
Then I asked, “How would this additional responsibility fit with your desire to have better balance in your life that you told me about recently?”
I feel it’s my responsibility to ask these sort of questions sometimes.
It led to a great conversation about how he might tackle the balance topic whilst at the same time as positioning himself to take on more.
It also reminded me how often I recommend to people to invest some time in getting clear about what they really want because it makes dealing with these apparent dilemmas so much easier!
I want to share with you a fun way to go about that.
But first, why should we do that and how does it fit within Fulfilling Performance?
Create Clarity
In Fulfilling Performance, the Diagnostic Question we use to explore the fundamental of Clarity is, “How clear are you about what you are supposed to be doing and how you are performing against expectations?”
As with all the Diagnostic Questions we can apply it to small topics like how to run a meeting or write a report or we can apply it to the biggest topics like how to make the most of our life.
Usually as adults, in matters relating to our own life, we get to decide what we are “supposed” to be doing. There may well be consequences but for most of us we have freedom to choose what we do with our lives.
Often though, we get swept along by others expectations of what we are supposed to be doing. We may pause occasionally to reflect on what we’d prefer to be doing but few of us turn that wistful glimpse of what could be into a compelling vision. Fewer still become intentional about making that vision a reality.
As Tony Gaskins says:
"If you don’t build your dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs."
Staying with the idea of making the most of our life, when we are clear about what we are supposed to be doing and how we are performing against expectations some interesting things happen:
Our life plan acts as a compelling vision for ourselves providing clarity and motivation
We become more likely to identify opportunities that progress our plan
We get better at saying no to demands that detract from our plan
We feel more in control even when what we are doing is a struggle
You may think of other benefits, feel free to comment
One fun exercise to develop a vision for your life
In November 2010, prompted by a suggestion in an email newsletter I’d subscribed to, I sat down and fleshed out the details behind the statement, “What my life will be like”.
On 1 January 2024 I published this short Side Mirror episode: “What my life will be like” to share my experience of that reflective exercise. I encourage you to have a listen or read the transcript and have a go at the exercise.
I'd say this exercise is fun. I'd even use the word playful. I use that word very deliberately because play is a behaviour we often consign to our childhood, which is a pity because play can be so creative.
The exercise I share in the episode allows or even requires us to use our imagination. Some of us find that easier than others but, nevertheless, I encourage you to create in your imagination how you would like your life to be.
My end in mind for sharing this story is to encourage you to have some fun, unleash your imagination, reflect on your values, strengths and interests and in some way, shape or form capture that stream of consciousness about how your life will be in a document.
That exercise will give you increased clarity and a sense of intentionality that will inform your decision making and actions. And I hope that you will return to this document after an appropriate period of time to find that much of what you have wished for you have been able to create for yourself.
CAREER-VIEW MIRROR #212
Margareta Sailer: dedicated to enhancing People, Talent, and Culture after finding her passion in automotive and tech companies like Tesla and Lilium.
🚀 Scaling Startups, Building Culture, and Owning Your Career – with Margareta Sailer
From Vienna to BlackBerry, Tesla, and Lilium, Margareta Sailer has built a career shaping fast-scaling companies and helping them attract the right talent. She’s seen first-hand how early hires define company culture and why self-awareness, resilience, and learning from mistakes are key ingredients for career success.
In this episode of CAREER-VIEW MIRROR, Margareta shares:
🔹 How she went from struggling in school to leading recruitment for some of the world’s most innovative companies.
🔹 What it was like scaling Tesla from 30 to over 4,000 employees in Europe.
🔹 Why culture isn’t just a buzzword—it shapes everything, from teams to products.
🔹 The power of owning your career, making mistakes, and learning fast.
I loved Margareta’s honesty about the tough moments, pivoting careers, and figuring out where she could thrive. She shares valuable insights for anyone navigating career growth, hiring talent, or shaping company culture.
🎧 Listen now: Apple Podcasts / Online / Spotify
Check out the directory of all our guests and episodes on Instagram.
“Go to people” need people to go to!
The Aquilae Academy: Guided peer mentoring and coaching for executives, senior leaders and business owners.
Running a business or holding a senior position in an organisation can be very rewarding. At the same time it can be challenging and even lonely.
There are certain topics we are either unable or uncomfortable to discuss with colleagues no matter how self aware and open we are.Sometimes it is just not appropriate to discuss an issue with a colleague. Maybe they are the issue!
Our partners and friends may want to listen and help but they may not have relevant experience or be completely independent.
The Aquilae Academy is for senior leaders and business owners who:
acknowledge that they can’t and don’t have to do it alone
value interdependence and
are looking to continue learning and growing with the support of a team of like minded peers
If this sounds like you, contact me and I’ll happily tell you more.
Thank you,
Andy
E: andy@aquilae.co.uk