I am thinking quite a few circles. They interact, they move, they flow. I am thinking walking down the promenade juggling the circles in my head, who knows also in real life. They never fall and they stay in sink. They can be slowed down like in a Matrix movie. They can be halted, examined and thrown back into the mix. I juggle. They float.
The circles a.k.a. juggling balls
The first step is to find a nice set, equal in balance, perhaps feel and weight. Not overbearing individually, and not too small to slip from my hands or my angle of vision. Enough of them to create a visual effect, or rather a mind blowing effect. Not too many that I can’t keep them in the air. How do I find them, how to define them?
As my Venn diagram session part two is still due for next week, my diagram is yet to be completed. Whilst I do not have a full view of the circles and how they interact with each other, key features emerge. Then I will see how to juggle.
The Business Circle
Be it running Um Pequeno Gesto, as it seems to be happening now, or working with CEOs as they make their businesses grow, some clear traits start to show:
- The Structure: structure is a biggie for me. Structure provides framework of mind, provides chances for efficiency, reduces error, increases efficacy. In the context of a multifaceted life, structure is what allows the balls to stay up, even when I am not looking. For myself or any CEO.
- The Roadmap: a business without a road ahead faces a rough patch as it keeps changing direction, starting and stopping, not knowing where to go. I like drawing roadmaps, analysing the short run to get to the long term.
- The Vision: at core, strategy needs to steer the boat even if the tactics are what makes it move at different speeds. It’s easy to have a high level view of where to go, but more importantly, it is key to look at whether it is aligned with the values and the way time is spent.
- The Challenge: as a person that at core struggles with last minute changes of plans and unexpected events, I have trained myself to the core of “thinking again”. The intellectual honesty (and challenge) of questioning the status quo have always appealed to me more than the comfort of staying put. As I suffer the pain of challenging every single part of my status quo in my life or at the charity at the moment, I have a taste of my own medicine. And I know it will be worth it.
The Communication Circle
For some reason, I became a communicator, first and foremost in the form of writing. From a young age, I was writing poetry and finding writing as the way to channel my inner emotions. Expressing them in raw words was always harder for me. But over time, I understood communication was my key tool for impact.
- The Storytelling: by telling a story that is clear and has an intent and purpose, the outcome can be transformational. I spent hours of my life re-writing board, townhall and management committee slides, as I did scripting every word behind it. It’s amazing if you are a raw and brilliant communicator that needs none of this, but, especially in the corporate world, the devil is in the detail (or lack thereof).
- The Passionate Speaker – no matter how much I feared public speaking over time, I tamed it to understand what I could and could not control. The joy of sharing something I was passionate about mostly overcame the shaking of my hands. Charity fundraising put me in front of large audiences, recruitment events in front of eager eyes, conference panels hoped for me to sound smart about DEI, business planning or mental health. They all had one thing in common – how passionate I was about these topics.
- The Authentic Self – I am not always the best about talking about myself out loud. Even this article feels a bit funny today. In the podcast, I mostly talk about others, unless we connect at a deeper level where I am comfortable to compare experiences. As I moved away from small talk in my post pandemic introvert extrovert self, I try to stick to meaningful interactions. With each CEO, friend or new acquaintance, I have learned to bring my full self into the equation, even when it brings moments of discomfort.
The Impact Circle
Recently, we have watched Christmas Chronicles for the 3rd time (I think). In it, they tell the story of True Believers. I am a bit like that. I have the ultimate belief that I can change each life that I touch. Not with any illusion of grandeur, purely because I do think that every day we can chose a life knowing it makes a difference for others at every interaction.
- Impacting Lives: from early days in finance, I could tell how people looked up to me for advice, or dare I say inspiration. Whilst I accepted many mentees through time, I soon started laying down the rules of the road – meaningful or nothing. If I had nothing to add, there was no point in me being there.
- Impacting Businesses: in the last few years, I have started doing some business angel investing and CEO coaching. The latter was similar to my day job but working with CEOs of growing or forming businesses instead. Whoever came to be with a business idea or problem, they were guaranteed a brainstorm and hundred questions along the way.
- Impacting the World – while this circle is coming almost at the end, this could well be the connector across the Venn Diagram. I like stuff that matters, what can I say. Empowering women, empowering the underprivileged. To be fair, a lot matters to me, more than probably necessary. So this area will continue to go through constant fine tuning.
The Home Circle
Then there is a ball (or circle) that is all over the home. Maybe the characteristics fit in all the other categories, but it is hard not to think of this as its own thing. It sometimes feels like the harder one to juggle, but it is mostly hard because all the others are in place. Or maybe it is hard because in absolute terms it just is, even if that is the only one you carry.
- The Chief: also called captain of the ship or CEO of the house. It goes closely knit with structure because everything that gives it structure makes things happen more easily. As c-level executive, I organise, direct, control operations, a lot of finances and treasury, and no doubt communication.
- The Heart: for a chief, I don’t have a bad heart either. I am definitely the softy side of the ship as well, looking to develop the famous EQ for all of us. I am at the end of the venting, crying, ranting but also hugging, cuddling, kissing and loving.
- The Memory Maker: that is my thing. Maybe it is about impact, legacy, not being forgotten? Whatever it is, it is all over what I do as I fill in 25 boxes of custom-made advent calendar treats and adventures or when I drag myself 14 hours in Euro Disney non-stop. But also in the simple things like chatting in the car driving back home or reading stories together.
As I write, I feel this is not yet complete. I feel I don’t want to be in a box or even with a fixed set of balls just yet. But as I look through, the exercise helps look at the components that make me. At what describes my identity without a job description. And even though a lot of these are things to do, they are mostly an expression of what I am.
Photo by Peggy Anke on Unsplash