Monday IINspiration: Leadership: Vision & Clarity

This weekend, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone on a mountain bike ride with Virginie Humblet (Run and Bike). I love nature, and I enjoy cycling — but I’ll admit it: I’m scared of obstacles, downhills, and sharp turns. Why? Because I fear losing control.

Virginie taught me something simple yet powerful: “Your look guides your balance.”

• If you look only at your tire or just in front of you, you tense up, lose balance, and can’t anticipate what’s coming.

• But when you lift your gaze — far ahead, toward where you want to go — suddenly your body relaxes, you gain stability, and the bike follows naturally.

We practiced this on a straight white line and then on sharp turns. The difference was striking: look at your direction, not your doubts — and your whole body (and bike!) aligns to follow.

Leadership = Where you look

In leadership, the same principle applies. Leaders who stare at their “front tire” get stuck:

• They focus on urgent problems instead of long-term priorities.

• They react to obstacles rather than anticipating opportunities.

• They create tension for themselves and their teams because the path ahead feels uncertain.

Without a clear vision, people lose balance — organizations drift, energy scatters, and decisions feel inconsistent.

But when leaders look ahead with clarity, everything changes:

• Vision acts as a compass — it tells the team where we’re going and why.

• Clarity reduces stress and confusion because people understand their role in the bigger picture.

• Just like on a bike, the team naturally follows the leader’s gaze: when you show the way, people align and ride with you.

  
  

A client’s breakthrough moment

One of my clients used to spend all his energy, along with his leadership team, fixing the storms: market pressure, obstacles, and internal fires. During one of our coaching sessions, he had a powerful shift: “I can’t fix the storms — nobody can. My role is to lead the boat, with my team in it.”

That changed everything. He realized that the boat, the passengers, and the destination are his focus. If the vision, the process, and the communication are clear, then when storms come, the team knows what to do: not waste energy fighting the storm, but keep the boat steady and moving toward the destination.

That’s the essence of leadership: not controlling the uncontrollable, but guiding people with vision and clarity so they remain strong, resilient, and aligned.

My role as coach

Through Co-Active Coaching and training, I help entrepreneurs, managers, and directors make this shift:

• Define the vision that truly matters to them.

• Lift their gaze from the immediate “noise” to focus on long-term direction.

• Build the clarity and strength to embody that vision daily, so their teams trust and follow.

  
  

Because leadership is not about controlling every bump in the road or every storm at sea. It’s about knowing where you want to go, looking in that direction with conviction and intention, and inspiring others to come along for the ride. 🚴‍♀️⛵