"Vision without action is merely a dream" - Joel A. Barker
Action is a requirement if your dream, or vision for your life / organization, is going to become a reality. However, in-between dream and action exists conversation. If it is not with others in-person or through other forms of communication, it is happening internally with yourself.
We are pretty much always in some type of conversation.
Which is why it is such a critical element in the quality of the action being taken towards achieving your goals, vision, or dreams.
The key is being aware of where you are in the conversation.
FOLLOWING IN CONVERSATION
Are you showing up as a follower? As if you were in the stands at a sports game, commenting on what's taking place on the court?
Or are you on the court taking the shots?
Being in the stands when it comes to conversation means, although you are actively participating, you are still reacting to the conversation as it's happening. Something is said, and you respond. Or even if you are the one being responded to, your contributions are still being sourced from being in the stands - you are following the original intent of the conversation, and reacting or responding to what's been happening on the court.
This applies to the communication you are having with others, as well as the communication you are having with yourself. All of which is in response to what's happening, and has a direct impact on the actions you take. Many of our actions throughout the day are triggered by what's happening around us.
We act be-cause of something vs. being the-cause of action.
LEADERSHIP IN CONVERSATION
Being on the court is about having leadership inside of the conversation, constantly tending to what's being said and being the-cause in creating and shifting the conversation so that it is always supporting the action(s) required to realize your vision.
Leadership in conversation is listening for how what is being said is impacting the quality of the action being taken, and how that action is or is not aligned with the vision.
It means being the-cause in shifting direction or momentum of a conversation, whether it be with others or with yourself, so that the action resulting from the conversation is powerful and moving towards the vision with velocity.
"Whatever our dreams, ideas or project, we plant a seed, nurture it and then reap the fruits of our labor" - Oprah Winfrey
Leadership in conversation is similar to a gardener in a garden.
In order for the seeds planted in a garden to grow and blossom, the gardener has to be constantly tending to those seeds in such a way that it supports the action of growth. If the gardener does not tend to the garden at all, or too infrequently, the seeds will struggle to grow and weeds will begin to take their place.
THE TAKE-A-WAY's
So take on the challenge of becoming more aware of how you are showing up as a leader inside of the conversations you are having with yourself and with others, and if you find that the conversation is diminishing the growth of your vision and allowing the weeds to begin to come in, or has the potential to, recognize that you are likely in the stands taking action be-cause of something vs. being the-cause of the action needed.
Once awareness is brought to how you are showing up in the conversation, you can then begin to shift the direction and momentum of what's being said, so that it impacts the quality and alignment of the actions you and/or others are taking towards powerfully achieving your vision with velocity.
Here are three ways you can start showing your leadership in conversation today:
Listen For Commitment - This is different from action, as someone can be committed to the vision but weak on the action required to make it happen; Or vice-a-versa, where there is committed action happening, but is towards the wrong vision (or no vision at all). Here, leadership in conversation is in listening for the passion towards or against the vision.
Listen For Action - This means listening for passive words like should, could, would, sometimes, usually, etc. that indicate a lack in commitment when it comes to taking the action required. Leadership in conversation in this example, is to shift the commitment to action so words like am, are, shall, will, can, always, etc. are being used instead.
Listen For Opportunities - Being able to identify when a breakdown has happened, or is about to happen, is a key leadership trait. However, all too often we immediately look for how we could have prevented the breakdown in the first place instead of embracing the breakdown as our access into breakthroughs. Leadership in conversation is being able to shift the momentum around breakdowns, and create breakthrough actions in the wake of mistakes and failures.
Lee Picco is a personal & professional coach specializing in reinventing what it means to be a leader, within your business and in your life. If you are interested in learning more about how he can help with your leadership edge, conduct a keynote speech, or perform some group training/workshops, he can be contacted via email or through social media.
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