In our workplaces of today, individuals are exploring the meaning of work, their contribution, career satisfaction, and under the COVID view, evaluating their future selves. The pandemic has caused individuals to reflect and soul search about what could or should be different in their future. At Leap Solutions, we support individuals through coaching and teams through team strengthening to identify and set their Destination Postcard. We encourage introspection and the development of a clear path to achieve the individual and team vision of their best selves. We provide the tools you need to create the Destination Postcard for the “Future You”. 

In this issue of our newsletter:

• The individual Destination Postcard
• The team Destination Postcard
• Setting yourself up for success

The Destination Postcard

We need change to grow as individuals, leaders, and teams, and when we know what that change looks like, it’s more likely that we will do it and stick to it, whether we’re starting a new job, moving to a new city, creating or updating a desired team culture, or starting a big project.

Change is the perfect opportunity to create a destination postcard, a vivid picture from the near-term future that shows what could be possible. It’s a concept from the book “Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard” by Chip and Dan Heath. https://heathbrothers.com/books/switch/ The destination postcard makes change manageable and creates a path for change to happen.

Your destination postcard creates a picture of where you want to be after the change. Or when you know there is a destination you want to reach and you want that clear, vivid picture of how you are going to get there. You wouldn’t take a vacation without knowing your destination or where you want to explore. Creating change, embracing change that you create, is the catalyst for your growth, the ‘I’m going to do it’ beginning. Creating your destination postcard provides the path to that place you envisioned you’d be.

But, without a clear vision of the destination, change will not happen. Without envisioning the journey and how you want to get there, it is impossible to create change.

The journey to your planned destination starts with developing goals that inspire and are also SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-specific. Often, development plans align with a company’s goals and shape our own vision but, to be impactful, a development plan needs skillful development and feedback, and not just when the annual review is conducted.

Here’s the Process:

1. Understand what is going to change or where you want to go as an individual or a team
2. Do some reflection to create vision, values, and passion for you and for your team
3. Ask yourself these questions:

• What does success look like?
• What does your realized self or team look like?
• What fulfills you and your team?

The Individual Destination Postcard

Here’s an example of an individual’s Destination Postcard:

My Vision

My vision for the end of 2021 is that I would have started my new job and grown as a professional. I am a strong manager and leader. I have also grown personally and I am accountable to myself, my new company, and others around me.

My Values

My values are accountability, compassion, life-long learning, and empathy. My values anchor my work professionally and as personal goals.

My Passion

I am passionate about helping others and that is why I will volunteer 5 hours per month to a nonprofit that does work that aligns with my values.

SMART Goals for life priorities

Work Focus – I will work 8 hours a day and focus on reaching my quarterly outcomes for sales.

Family Focus – I will spend the weekends with the kids and go to the park on Saturdays. I will be home by dinner time every day of the week.

The Team Destination Postcard

The team destination postcard process is essentially the same as for your personal destination postcard, but requires team-focused introspection to uncover and agree upon direction, goals, and team commitment to the destination. Your team’s destination postcard can start with the end in mind, and affirm the team through a series of questions.

The team process:

1. Understand what is going to change or where the team wants to go.
2. Team Discovery

• What are the team values and their meaning to us?
• What is the vision for the team (where are we collectively headed)?
• What brings passion to the team?

3. Team Desired Outcome questions:

• What does success look like?
• If we achieve our vision, what will our team have accomplished?
• How will our culture as a team be defined?
• To reach our outcomes, what are our team priorities?

Here’s an example of a team Destination Postcard:

Team Vision

Create a clear message for our clients and partners so they can join our organization.

Team Values

We value trust, commitment, and our value proposition.

Team Passion

We are passionate about creating a message that will draw new clients and partners to our business.

SMART Goals for Team Focus

We will work as a team and meet once a week until we launch our new message by December.

For individuals and teams, remember these four areas for creating your destination postcard:

Vision: What is YOUR north star?
Values: What anchors you?
Passion: What makes you passionate about your values and vision?
Priorities: What themes fuel your vision?

Setting Yourself Up for Success

A destination postcard sets you up for success and leads you in the right direction. Without a clear vision of the destination, change will not happen. Without envisioning the journey and how you want to get there, it is impossible to create change.

Individually, I use my destination postcard to guide my career-life balance. It includes how I want to grow as a consultant and provide high-quality services for our clients; speaks to my aspiration to balance my life and find time to volunteer in the community; puts a focus on personal health; and reminds me to spend time with family and friends.

Our clients use their destination postcards to guide cultural change initiatives, team building and development, and changes in leadership. Their destination postcards serve a critical purpose as they experience change and innovation. They know where they want to go and how to get there.

A coaching client used her destination postcard to guide her in the next level of her career. Abby was recently promoted to a managerial position. She knew what kind of manager she wanted to be and knew what kind of culture she wanted to create for her team, but she didn’t know how she was going to get there. We worked with her to develop her destination postcard and create goals for herself, and the team. She then had direction, knew she wanted to be a great manager, and needed to invest in professional development to reach her goal.

She also wanted her team to appreciate and practice collaboration, so she made these a priority by modeling what collaboration was to her team. Her destination postcard enabled her to move in the best direction for her and her team. She made her vision real by centering herself, understanding the values, vision, mission, and listing her priorities using SMART goals. Today, Abby excels at her job and has a team culture to be proud of.

Let’s get you started on yours and your team’s Destination Postcard. Reach out to us and we’ll guide you through the process, support your desired change, and celebrate with you when the change train arrives at your destination!

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Leap Solutions is a diverse group of highly skilled management, organizational development, and human resources, and executive search and recruitment professionals who have spent decades doing what we feel passionate about helping you feel passionate about what you do. Our HR specialists can help you get a handle on the ever-changing COVID-19 guidelines, programs, and legislation that may impact you and your employees. We are available to work with you to develop practical solutions and smart planning decisions for your organization’s immediate, near, and long-term needs.

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