| Mastering Creative
Change: Step 4: Share the Vision by Rosanne Bane Fourth of a seven-part excerpt of Rosanne Bane's book-in-progress Creative Change: How to Effectively Move Your Inspirations from Dream to Reality. "Telling people about my writing reminds me that it is important," says Sarah Tieck, novelist, creative writing teacher and associate editor at Minnesota Monthly who has discovered the power of sharing her vision. But she always recognizes the challenge inherent in this step. "Saying I'm working on my first novel sounds very big for me to say. But now people are expecting me to do it. For me to be accountable to myself, I need to claim and create that reality for myself." Of the seven steps in the Creative Change Process, Step 4 looks the easiest. Until you set out to actually do it. Making a public announcement detailing the change you have until now nurtured in the privacy of your heart and shared only with a few, trusted allies can give you pause. Even promising yourself that you will carefully craft what you'll share about your vision, with whom and when might not dispel all your resistance. If you're wondering if you can just skip this step all together, here are 10 reasons why Step 4 is vital. 1. Sharing your vision improves your vision. The more people you tell about your vision, the more you refine it. And the more informed input you can get from a variety of perspectives, the better your vision will be and the more effective your strategies and actions will be. 2. Sharing your vision builds your belief in the vision. The more you talk about it, the more real it becomes. 3. Sharing your vision builds enthusiasm in the vision. As people get enthusiastic about your change, their belief supports you in subtle, but dramatic ways. 4. Sharing your vision provides synergy. As you increase the number of people who know what you're attempting to do, you increase the possibilities that someone will know someone who has exactly the information or connection you need. Networking works. It can connect you with collaborators, customers, investors, advisors and supporters. 5. Sharing your vision keeps you honest and on-track. People start helping you. They start holding you accountable. Knowing that people are going to ask you about your progress motivates you to do what you said you were going to do. 6. Sharing your vision coordinates the efforts of your allies and potential allies. The more people who know about your commitment to change, the larger the pool of potential allies becomes. Clearly communicating your vision makes it possible to delegate tasks. When your allies know precisely what you're looking for, the more on target their assistance will be. 7. Sharing your vision builds your courage, self-confidence and trust. It makes you feel powerful. There is something about talking about your vision with a quiet assumption that you're really going to do this (instead of just fantasizing about it) that makes you feel "Adult." 8. Sharing your vision reduces other people's resistance to the change you're making. Seeing the wonderful vision you've got in mind motivates others to help you -- or at least stop blocking you. If they have fears or concerns about how the change will affect them, sharing the vision gives them an opportunity to talk about it. 9. Sharing your vision connects you to your passion, your spirit and to the Divine. It can be a declaration of your intention to cooperate with the Divine. 10. Sharing your vision keeps you focused. It narrows possibilities and suggestions to those that are within your scope. Checklist for sharing Before you leap into sharing the vision, take a few moments to plan the communication. Make a list of people you WANT to share your vision with. These are people you want to talk to because you know they are trustworthy, have your best interests at heart, and you can count on them to be open-minded and open-hearted with your vision. This list will probably include all the people you've already asked to be your allies. It will probably include your spouse or partner, coach, best friends, collaborators, colleagues and so on. This first list should be the people you think it will be easiest to talk to. Then make a list of people you think you SHOULD share your vision with. Next to each name, write the reason you think you should talk to this person. Make a note of how resistant you are to talking to this person. Think about whether there is a valid reason for sharing the vision with each. Sometimes we think we HAVE TO talk to some member of our family or a certain friend, but there really is no need to do so. Ask yourself what benefit you'll gain from talking with this person (Hint: take a look at the previous list of 10 reasons to share your vision.) If there's no benefit to sharing your vision with anyone on this list, delete the name. However, if you can see the payoff in sharing your vision with someone, go for it, no matter how high the resistance is. While you're thinking about your reluctance to share your vision, go back to your first list. Even though you want to talk to these people, there might be a little bit of resistance to talking to them. If there is, make a note of it. For each person you're going to share your vision with, think about what kind of response you'd like. Do you want names of people to contact? Do you want advice? Financial support? Emotional support? Do you want this person to help you stay accountable? Do you just want him or her to believe in you? You'll tell each one what kind of assistance you're hoping he or she can give you. Be willing to negotiate this in the same way you negotiated with your allies. Then sit down with a calendar and make a schedule of when you'll share the vision with the people on your two lists. It's a good idea to start with the people you know are good listeners, who already believe in you and want to see you succeed. Write Your Own Commercial: Take 1 Before you call or meet with anyone, though, you'll want to write your own "three-minute commercial." You probably won't read this word for word, but writing and practicing a concise statement of what you're attempting is a great way to clarify what you're going to say. The three-minute commercial is a brief statement of your vision. You'll be sharing your vision with people who aren't willing to be full-fledged allies, but who will want to know what you're doing and may be able to help you. So you won't give them all the details. Your goal is to give them the essence of the vision, highlighting the strengths and positive aspects. As an example, here's a draft of a three-minute commercial for my next book. "I'm really excited to tell you about my latest project. As you might know, my business Imagination Ink is dedicated to releasing human potential to transform the world, one creative person at a time. I published my first book Dancing in the Dragon's Den to answer the question 'If it feels so good to be creative, why do we all have so many ways to avoid it?' The book I'm working on now, Creative Change: How to Effectively Move Your Inspirations From Dream to Reality, will answer the question 'Why is it so difficult to change, even when the change is a creative project I really want to complete?' The Change Master book will give readers the tools and techniques they need to understand and move through resistance, take effective action and make lasting changes. It blends the insights gained from the latest research in brain function with psychological awareness of the shadow as a backdrop to a 7-Step Change Process adapted from the best theories and practices in corporate change research." When your commercial is written and you feel ready, call or meet with the first person on your list. (If the date for your first scheduled "share the vision" discussion comes up on your calendar and you don't feel ready, read your Urgency Statement, call an ally and go over the 10 reasons to share your vision. Keep talking with your ally until you are ready. Then call.) Give your commercial, explain what kind of assistance you want and prepare yourself for a great response. Every time you deliver your message, you're practicing and polishing your vision, making it more real, breathing more life into it. Positive response from your audience is a bonus. Celebrate! Give yourself a reward to celebrate the progress you've made so far. Step 4, like Wednesday, marks the point where you're more than halfway there. You're really doing it! You're really changing, making this dream of yours reality, contributing to the world in your own unique and powerful way. Thank you and keep up the creative work! Rosanne Bane, M.A., is a Creativity Coach and author of Dancing in the Dragon's Den: Rekindling the Creative Fire in Your Shadow. She has been teaching creativity for more than 14 years. For more information about her coaching, creativity classes, Change Master workshops and presentations on creativity and change, visit RosanneBane.com or call (612) 722-4139. Copyright © 2003 Rosanne Bane, All Rights Reserved. |
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