Grant Aylward
We have to allow ourselves to dream about what could be; not those things we could have done but didn’t, or those things we should have done, but rather those things that still could be.
I have dedicated much of my working life to exploring the qualities which give individuals ‘impact’. One has always stood out for me. The quality of ‘openness’ paves the way to a chamber of untapped resources, often hidden inside us. Openness to new connections, discoveries, change, different opinions, feedback, criticism, challenges, adventures, appreciation, compliments, love and much more. Yet despite its power, openness is a rather shy quality! It can be easily bullied back into the shadows by familiarity, expertise, the need to fit in, or complacency. It needs to be constantly nurtured.
High Impact’s work in leadership and personal impact development is built upon the belief that individuals can go way beyond what they know how to do if they accept to explore those facets which remain partially or totally hidden from view. Much in the same way that an actor pursues the truth in the words of their characters, so leaders and communicators must seek to be their authentic selves. The rewards of these explorations are incredible.
If one day, High Impact, achieves all it has set out to achieve, then I hope there will be greater openness in the world, less conflict, more desire for collaboration, acceptance of difference and the power of emotions.