Sometimes it’s bloody tempting to focus on fighting today’s fires while forgetting the bigger picture, isn’t it? I used to keep a brown paper bag handy for moments like those. I’d breathe in and out, counting heartbeats and trying to calm the chaos. But here’s the thing: eventually, I realised I didn’t need to hyperventilate; I needed to map my way out.
You know the drill: another day, another emergency—emails piling up, deadlines shifting. It’s the daily scramble. It feels urgent, even noble in a strange way. But while I was busy plugging holes, something was slipping further away: that grand, almost dream-like vision of where I wanted things to go. Long-term focus is like a fine bottle of whiskey—priceless, but too often out of reach in moments that feel ‘now or never.’
So, here’s where I had an epiphany (without the paper bag this time). I needed a system to keep my eye on the immediate and the future simultaneously. Enter my IDEA model:
Inform: I started with clarity. Ever read that 65% of leaders think they’re top-notch communicators? Yeah, well, research says otherwise. Just because I thought I was clear didn’t mean my team got the memo. I found that laying out ideas visually—literally seeing the path ahead—cuts through the fog.
Develop: Next, skill-building. When I invested in team development, something clicked. Studies back it up—performance jumps when people have what they need to grow. No one wants to nod along with half-baked plans; they want the tools to get the job done.
Enable: Empowerment is a big one. Real change happens when folks can act without waiting on approval for every tiny step. Turns out, they need structure but also freedom, a balance we don’t often talk about. I found that laying out the roadmap makes those ‘yes’ moments obvious and reduces the endless check-ins.
Animate: Finally, I leaned into storytelling. Numbers are neat, but stories connect. Imagine pitching a long-term vision as a hero’s journey, something people can feel. It’s not about reeling off stats; it’s about sparking something that lives on, even when the meeting wraps up.
Here's a little exercise that worked wonders for me. Grab a piece of paper (or pull up a digital canvas), and split it into two columns: Immediate Priorities and Visionary Goals. Start filling in the blanks. What’s demanding attention right now? And what’s the bigger dream here? Sometimes, you’ll find an eerie disconnect between the two.
Now, take it a step further with Impact Mapping. Draw arrows from those immediate actions to long-term goals. How do they link up? Are they even in the same direction? Sometimes, you’ll find that the day-to-day grind is a bit like running on a treadmill—effort, no distance. This map will help you get off that treadmill and start walking towards something that matters. It’s amazing how a simple piece of visual thinking can unblock the path ahead. Imagine what you can do with visual thinking on steroids!
Trust me, when you start seeing the full picture, it changes everything. Suddenly, there’s clarity where there was once just clutter. And if you can hold both the immediate fires and the grand vision together, you won’t just survive the scramble—you’ll thrive beyond it. If you want to bring visual thinking to your message or project, I'd love to catch up with you to find out more!
If you could pin down the essence of truth, could you draw it? That’s the question that lingered in my mind after speaking with Dan Ariely for my RSA Animate documentary—a project allowing me to reconnect with some of the most compelling thinkers of our time.