It’s in the cut of the cloth

Last fall at my business retreat, I did a guided visualization. As I began drawing what I hoped my year ahead would become, I imagined my clients as hot air balloons — vibrant and taking flight — and my role of supporting their work like the blasts of hot air that help them lift. Yet something felt off about that metaphor, and not just because I didn’t relish the idea of being compared to hot air and the implication that had for team capacity building.

Awe-inspiring flight happens after construction is complete

Maybe because I’ve only ever seen hot air balloons from a distance, my memory of them leans towards vibrant orbs, sometimes illuminated, gracefully soaring in the air. I kept working through this image of the hot air balloon, and thinking about what goes into a successful flight. What came to mind was the construction of the balloon itself, how it is sewn, the importance of fabric; and that my personal mission is to be a weaver of a fabric for a stronger community.

Your most fundamental asset is your team

Great leaders build great teams, and consider people as their most important asset, So I went down a rabbit hole, searching the web for images of people constructing balloons (aka the envelope), and started to consider the metaphor of the team as the fabric of each amazing structure. My image of the work that I do, and capacity building in general, looks something like the image below of Keith Sproul hard at work on one of his many hand-made hot air balloons: detailed planning with carefully selected and thoughtfully trimmed sections of fabric, painstakingly arranged and sewn section by section. This vision reminded me of the effort that goes into building teams: how much red or blue or yellow; which shape or pattern; and how to connect everyone for both durability and vibrance.

The anatomy of a great team — or balloon — is fundamental

Did you know that hot air balloons are the oldest form of flight? And despite all the changes and innovations over the years the fundamental structure of a hot air balloon — and also a team — has not changed: you have to create a thoughtful, solid structure to take flight.

Careful construction can’t be ignored: hasty sewing, ignoring plans, and the like would inevitably lead, at best, to a balloon that never takes flight; and, at worst, catastrophic results. The same is true for your team.

Consider this: When you are thinking of the goals of your project, the dream as it were, imagine the vibrancy and then let your imagination zoom in on the detail. How are you providing structure to your team so it can achieve the vibrant success you imagine?