Sometimes all it takes is one image to start a whole new way of seeing and speaking. It’s not always easy to explain but this might help you get a sense of it.
I observed this recently with a group of leaders I worked with from Mongolia through the University of Queensland’s International Development Women’s Leadership Program (I wrote about our session in July’s newsletter).
Using the Maverick Minds Shift Your Thinking image cards, the leaders reflected on and told the story of their leadership, both from where they stand now and their aspirations for the future.
They selected images that spoke to their experiences and wove those visuals throughout their final presentation. The result was powerful. The images didn’t just illustrate the participants’ words, but also deepened their understanding of themselves. The visual thread added presence, emotion, and clarity to their leadership stories in a way that words alone wouldn’t have quite achieved.
As one of the participants said, “I didn’t choose the images – they chose me.” I’ve heard that said several times, that’s where the conversation gets interesting and that’s where I think real insight and change begin.
Here’s Something for You to Try
It’s one of the practices I share when working with clients:
- Choose one of the images from the series of images I’ve shared in this story. Which one of the images draws you in?
- Sit with it for a moment. Then ask:
→ What does this image remind me of?
→ What’s the story it’s asking me to tell?
→ If this image had a message for me, what would it be?
You might be surprised by what emerges.
Collage Artwork – Cathryn Lloyd
A Different Way to Reflect
Working visually asks you to pay attention to what catches your eye and what speaks to you. Images engage our minds in a different way than words. They cause you to pause and offer you a mirror. And often they reach parts of your consciousness that plain language just can’t.
Each Image Card Inspires A Unique Response
If you’re a regular reader, you’ll have read about the Maverick Minds Shift Your Thinking image cards before. Designed to prompt thinking, open up conversation, and make space for reflection – individually and collectively – I really can’t imagine my coaching and facilitation practice without them.
The images in the Shift Your Thinking deck are deliberately layered. They’re based on original collage artworks I created throughout a year-long daily art-making project, and each has a story unique to me. But ultimately, I love how they come to life again through the eyes and experiences of other people.
Some are simple, while others are more abstract. They don’t intend to offer answers, although I know they can, because I’ve seen and heard from others how they have done that. They are intended to prompt curiosity and questions. That’s where the magic often happens. People project their own meanings, memories, emotions, and possibilities. The same image can land completely differently for different people, and that’s the point.
There’s something quite profound about seeing and hearing how others engage and make sense of images. It reminds me how differently we experience the world, and what becomes possible when we make space for listening and genuine curiosity.
If this way of working speaks to you, whether you’re leading a team, moving through a transition, or want to have a different quality of connection and conversation, I’d love to hear from you.
There are all sorts of ways we can explore together, including coaching sessions or workshops using the Shift Your Thinking cards and other useful processes.
Get in touch if you’re curious.
PS – If you were to send yourself a postcard that you received next New Year’s Eve…
What would your image be, and what would the note say? I’d love to hear from you.