Behind the scenes of a visionary’s idea process

My title in our business is Chief of Vision. I am responsible for thinking about what's next for our company and team and how we can continue to evolve and grow.?

In my 17 years of leading my business, I’ve noticed a pattern with our evolution: We come up with our next great idea, we implement it, we focus on making it the best it can be for a couple of years, and then we maintain it until I get the itch to start something new again.?

Our last big evolution was selling the cleaning business, going all-in on the speaking and leadership development business, and implementing the Human Leadership Program. That’s been our focus for the last several years, but now, I can see our next evolution on the horizon. I thought I could give a peek behind the curtain of what it looks like when you are a visionary and you know that an evolution is coming.?

The first thing I do when I’m in this phase is give myself time to think about and explore my ideas. I call it the ideation phase. I don’t have any expectations in this part of the process: I give myself permission to live in the unknown, to search for answers but not necessarily find them, and to follow any train of thought that's exciting to me.?

During my ideation phase, I read a ton of books. I seek out titles that will inspire me and make me think and reflect. I go on lots of walks, which I love to do, and I keep the notes app on my phone handy so I can jot down ideas as I think of them. I lean heavily into journaling: I sit in my office in the morning and write about whatever is on my mind. Over time, these rituals help me get clear on what I think the next few years should look like for our business.

When I’m in the heart of the ideation phase, I keep most of my thoughts to myself—which I’ve learned is crucial. In the past, I’ve invited others into my ideas and solicited feedback too early in the process, and it never turned out well for me or for our business. I’ve found that if I bring people in when I'm not yet clear on what I feel in my gut, the ideas don't necessarily hold up. They aren't always sustainable, or it turns out that they won’t get us to the next level because I haven't done enough thinking to give us a strong foundation on which to build. That’s also how we end up running after an idea that even I'm not fully bought into. And if I don’t believe in my own idea, how can I expect anyone else to? It wastes my time and the team’s time, and it costs us valuable momentum.

On the other hand, I have to be careful not to stay in the ideation phase alone for too long. If I keep the ideas to myself and don’t get feedback, I can get too in my head. I start to doubt my ideas and overthink them, and then I get really overwhelmed and start to feel stuck. When I get to that place, it’s harder for the team to help me, and again, we lose momentum in the business.

So how do I know when I’m ready to share what I’ve been thinking about?

Read the rest on my blog ??