Growing up, I spent my summers in Halifax, Virginia, with my grandparents. They belonged to the neighborhood pool; I practically lived there from sun-up to sun-down.
Every evening, one of them would walk to the pool to meet me before dinner – and to drag me home.
I can still remember my grandmother trying to teach me how to perfect my dive, standing at the deep end of the pool on the diving board in shorts. She leaned into the water with her hands in a perfect point demonstrating how to almost bend into the water. Then she tipped a bit too far and into the water she fell.
As an adult, I think back and remember a slight smile on her face – like she might have been able to stop herself but she figured that falling would help me the most. That gentle, deliberate nudge.
In my work as a strategic planner with Floricane I often assume the role of the nudger – pushing clients to lean a little further and go for it. John Sarvay calls it landing the plan. It is my favorite part of the process.
Regardless of its name, there is exquisite beauty in watching a group of passionate people wrestle with the possibilities of what can be and then dreaming it bigger and scarier as a group. There is always a moment with clients, that moment when you see them tip just so – and into the pool!
The best parts of the week are when I am able to help a client tip, and to land a few impossible dreams with a gentle, deliberate nudge.