—– Roy T. Bennett

 

I have always understood and believed in the power of vision. I personally love to envision the future and take action steps in the direction of my dreams. 

 

If I had three feet, one would be planted in the past: I like to put everything into context and learn from my past experiences. One foot would be living in my present state: working the plan, endeavoring to enjoy and embrace each moment fully. And, if I am honest, a third foot would be always in the future: visioning, planning, and propelling myself forward. I am most energized by the future. If I lose my connection to my vision ability, I lose my energy. I have always been this way.

 

My affection for visioning has served me well as a consultant. Visioning is key to leadership. Visioning is an essential first step to planning. Visioning collectively engages the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the organization and encourages its constituents to want to move together.

 

Early in my career I discovered the work of Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, researchers and authors of the bestselling book “The Leadership Challenge.” Their work – that has remained relevant for more than 30 years – identified five key capabilities of leadership. One of the five being ‘Inspire A Shared Vision.’ The work of Kouzes and Posner has been the foundation of my passion for leadership. I have enthusiastically facilitated the visions of hundreds of groups. It is one of my favorite things to do. I have had the privilege of witnessing the achievement of these visions, as well.

 

My approach to visioning was deepened when I attended a workshop at the famous Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Zingerman’s is a local deli which has grown into many businesses that support the creation of food sensation and customer delight. The culture of Zingerman’s is so unique and intentional that they have grown a training company (Zing Train) to share the tenants of their success.

 

The workshop I attended was entitled “The 12 Natural Laws of Business Success” lead by Zingerman’s co-founder, Ari Weinzwig. The first of the 12 Natural Laws is, “It all begins with vision.” 

 

At Zingerman’s they create visions by writing narrative stories about the future. What will life be like, feel like, act like in a specific time frame. I found that when I wrote out my vision as if I were living it as achieved, it became reality. When I shared my narrative with other individuals it really took flight.

 

I have made the trip to Ann Arbor on many occasions to share the power of this workshop with my clients. Each time I take the opportunity to write a new vision narrative. I have written about my personal health, about my romantic life, about my future residence, about my career.

 

Then, on one trip, I wrote the most difficult vision of all.

 

Having exhausted most of my topics for visioning, I found myself in the Zingerman’s workshop distracted by the chaos of my personal life. My mother’s health had taken a turn for the worse. All my fears about our lack of a plan for her decline were now being realized. 

 

My mother had entered the New Year very sick. She bounced in and out of the hospital and nursing homes. She lost her rational self and ability to accept care easily. She was non-compliant and difficult. And worst of all, she was near death’s door. We sat at her bedside for a week as the doctors said she was failing. Miraculously, she held onto life; but without a good plan in place our family struggled with tough decisions and choices.

 

My mother’s worst nightmare was playing out as she was shuttled from one medical institution to the next, each placement worse than the last. As she lost her freedom, autonomy, and independence she suffered mentally. Not only were we far from her definition of a quality life and a good death but the family relationships were fraying as well.

I carried all these heavy feelings into the Zingerman’s workshop on that day in March and through my tears wrote this vision narrative, envisioning a future one year ahead:

 

 

 

I now know the real power of visioning. At the time that I wrote this vision, the situation could not have been further from my aspiration. Unknowingly, I had put myself on the path of changing the course of my mother’s life and her final months… and ultimately changing mine.

 

Within two months of writing this vision, I organized my mother’s release from a locked dementia ward in another state. Though the first step in our journey was just a promised week of respite, I knew if she found comfort in my home that she would be invited to stay and I would rework my life around a new vocation, that of care-giving for my mother.

 

It was the strength of this ‘guiding star’ vision that changed my life and the life of my mother. I was told by the hospice doctor who visited with my mother when she first arrived in my home that she had just weeks to live. With that knowledge, she and I together explored, envisioned, and daily created a life that would support her vision for a good death. 

 

The power of that shared vision carried us both through weeks, months, and almost a year of living, dying, and discovering each other.

    “The Light in the Heart”