Welcome to July, *|FNAME|*!

It feels almost impossible that we’ve reached the midpoint of the calendar year already! Time sure does fly when you’re having fun. The assumption, of course, is that we’re all still having fun out here. I realize that both our personal circumstances and the world’s are ever-changing, making it more imperative each day that we take a moment to focus on harnessing the power of our thoughts. This month’s theme is focused on doing just that: Harnessing Powerful Thinking.

You win $10 Disney Dollars (which are no longer in existence) if you can name the character in this photo! Try real hard and use your imagination (that’s a hint).

Figment, one of EPCOT Center’s main characters (Walt Disney World) and purveyor of his own attraction, Journey into Imagination, will be our guest host for today’s Thought Partner. Let me explain.

As you can see, my son and I recently had the pleasure of meeting Figment for a brief moment. It was short and sweet, as those interactions tend to be; however, what earwormed its way into my consciousness (for the remainder of the day and beyond) was his catchy theme song. As any jingle writer will tell us, the catchier it is, the more it sticks with us. Mission accomplished, Disney Imagineers! 🤯

Imagination, Imagination
A dream can be a dream come true
With just one spark, from each of you!

After I sang that little ditty for about three days, oh boy, did I need a perspective change. And it came disguised in a client coaching session. 

Discussing a particularly complex situation, I asked the leader to “Imagine all things were running perfectly, as planned. What would be happening?”

They paused, took a deep breath, closed their eyes while doing so, and then began to describe what they “saw”.
Who would be doing what.
What the first step would be.
What the next approval process would look like.
How things moved forward in this imagined scenario. 

BOOM. Just one spark…

Leaders discount imagination because it feels playful, fruitless, or unrealistic.

But the truth is, you can’t DO the THING if you DON’T first IMAGINE the THING.

As a leader, your perspective must include imagination.

  • Imagination means you’re thinking bigger than just yourself or what is right in front of you.
  • Imagination means you’re thinking bigger for your people than they might be thinking for themselves.
  • Imagination means you’re going beyond solving today’s problem and creating a bigger impact in the future.
  • Imagination shows actions you can take that your brain may not yet see. 

Harnessing a different perspective is not a figment of your imagination, it’s a legitimate path of action helping move you forward. Sometimes it takes just one spark from each of you, or one question from a coach who doesn’t shy away from furry purple Figments.