Visualization for Strategic Decision Making

The subconscious mind is a vast repository of experience and knowledge, processing millions of bits of data every moment. In contrast, the conscious mind operates like a CEO, overseeing high-level decisions without delving into detailed, on-the-ground information. While the conscious mind is rational and logical, the subconscious communicates through imagination, imagery, and metaphor. Visualization bridges the gap between these two, bringing insights from the subconscious to the conscious mind.

Using Visualization to Overcome Indecision

Lizzie, the founder of a boutique PR company, faced three promising partnership opportunities, each leading her in a different direction. Overwhelmed by the fear of making the wrong choice and feeling like she was going around in circles, she turned to visualization. After a guided relaxation, Lizzie imagined walking down a corridor with four doors, each representing a different option. By visualizing her own future and the future of the business in each scenario, she could assess how each choice felt, using her subconscious as guide. As if trying on garments, Options 1 and 3 looked promising on the rail, but when explored in her mind’s eye felt stressful and unfulfilling. In contrast Option 2 looked and felt vibrant and energizing. The office space looked light and bright, the team vibrant and happy and herself driven, but relaxed and positive. In short, it just felt right. Option 4, which was taking no action, felt uncomfortable and wrong. This sense of clarity freed up Lizzie to focus her efforts on investigating Option 2 more fully.

Visualization creates a credible imagined or metaphorical representation of a wide range of data within the subconscious

Visualization for Cultural Integration and Direction

When two financial services companies merged, the leadership team faced mistrust and confusion. Traditional brainstorming methods had failed to produce synergy. During a leadership retreat, the team used visualization methods to imagine their new combined head office, absorbing the atmosphere and energy of the space. Visualizing themselves walking around the office, observing client meetings, team meetings and water cooler chats, this exercise helped them envision a cohesive future, leading to the creation of a new organizational playbook based on their shared vision.

Visualization is a helpful tool to create an actionable vision of the future

Using Visualization to Foster Innovation

Tom's team at SmallTown Bank needed to innovate to stay competitive. During an off-site meeting, they used visualization to follow a range of typical clients through their daily financial interactions. By stepping into the ‘future’ within their imagination, they could anticipate clients' needs and desires.

Visualization taps into subconscious knowledge, sparking innovative ideas that the conscious mind might not discover for years

In our busy lives, we often overlook the wisdom within. Visualization is a powerful tool for teams and individuals to ideate, differentiate, and clarify their paths. By making the unfamiliar familiar, the brain's reticular activating system is given new instructions, guiding attention and action towards achieving these newly visualized goals.

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Debbie Jeremiah is a leadership confidence and inner mind change expert. She is a regressionist and hypnotherapist with a background in corporate leadership learning. She helps leaders transform their outer world by changing beliefs within their inner world. These are her own thoughts and opinions and as such, may contain inaccuracies and biases.