I had a wonderful discussion with a young and smart entrepreneur who is exploring a new adventure for his 2019 business dream. Sam has been running his own business in food, beverages, and packaging across different cities in Australia. Today, just one week before Christmas, we decided to explore what would happen in 2019 and how this little process guided him to find some different answers.
We started the process by simply asking a question - do you have a goal? Yes. The next question then was to have a reality check and to explore options for the way forward - meaning to look at (at least at this stage) the challenge in a work-life balance situation while making your dream business/career come true.
I handed him a set of LEGO, and the first step was to play around with the bricks and build a tower model representing himself - how do you see yourself? What's your current status? What's you and what's not you? What do you like and why are you here? What do you need and want?
The process I used this time was a GROW model to look at Sam's Goal, Reality, Options, and Way Forward by using a LEGO® Serious Play® method. Sam had a very clear goal, a detailed plan, a thought-through process, and expected outcomes. But when we actually walked through the process and looked at things from other perspectives, we learned something very different. What we actually learned from the process was not about finding a solution to tackle the challenges of a new business adventure but opened up a conversation piece to deepen the understanding of what was important and to reflect on what key roles he should be playing. So what's the new insight now? What to do next?
I'm looking forward to our next meetup. Thanks, Sam, for sharing your adventurous business ideas and your love for your family.
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My Tower
My Goal
The reality check
The options to consider
At the end of the day, who is sitting on top of the world, the most important consideration when you have a dream to chase.