How do we bring heat and light to our vision?

Mo Ibrahim

Have you heard of Mo Ibrahim? He’s an extremely interesting guy who has made it his business to eliminate poverty in Africa. You can find out more about him in the accompanying article (click here) but, in brief, here is a man who is motivated less by the enormous financial success that he and his company enjoys and more by the big difference he wants to make in a part of the world that desperately needs it.

One way in which we can think about our vision – whatever it is – is whether we bring ‘heat’ and ‘light’ to it. The ‘heat’ is all about energy and that comes from how much we care about what we are going for. For Mo there is no doubt that he cares passionately about African people and the possibilities for change. The ‘light’ is all about clarity and that comes from having a clear vision of what the future looks like, and being guided by it. Again Mo’s vision meets this criterion. He knows exactly what he’s going for and provides us with new and empowering perspectives about the future he envisages.

Not all leaders operate on such a global scale as Ibrahim. The FED approach helps us to recognise that we can all lead, whatever our status or role. The first step – whoever we are – is to ensure that we speak about the future we want with ‘heat’ and ‘light’. It doesn’t matter whether we are speaking to our team, boss, new recruits or our partner – the key is to simply notice whether we bring passion and clarity. Another useful tip is to consider getting some feedback about how we come across in order to check that the impact that we intend is indeed the one that lands!

By Anthony Landale, FED consultant and coach and Editor of Future, Engage, Deliver