Finding Vision

We speak very freely of 'vision' in business life and yet not very many of us can actually clearly articulate what we are trying to achieve in our very limited time on this planet. 

I'm using photographic portraiture ('photo-dialogues', in fact) more and more in my work with clients as they begin to define who and how they are going to be in the world. It is common practice for consultants and coaches to conversationally 'hold up the mirror' to their clients, whether they be individuals or large corporations. The idea is that the client makes the analysis and owns the process as they develop and change. But photographs seem to offer something extra to those conversations.

Gavin and I had planned a particular shot to help him develop his own vision.  Yet on the day, he was in a more thoughtful mood and, rather than trek off to a location, we decided to shoot indoors as he worked through some of his agenda.

When we next met he was incredibly sure about what he needed to be doing.  A set of emailed images had helped to unlock his thinking and make sense of an incredibly complex, shifting business environment.

Working in this way the pictures become a truth that locates us at a particular point in time and then holds us accountable for 'what next'. They show us both 'as we are' and 'as we are seen' and the distance that they offer allows us to gain perspective and clarity.

And besides....I really like this shot of Gavin, it's how I've come to know him; perceptive, sensitive, kind.

You could go a long way with vision like that...