Why I’m thinking about Lego

This week I’ve been thinking about Lego.

Because right now I’m in building-mode.

Over the summer a few curveballs were lobbied my way, which meant I needed to take some time off work. My mum died suddenly a few weeks ago; a year-long project unexpectedly ended; the treatment for my cancer has made life challenging with its side effects.

And now, I’m putting the pieces back together and creating a structure for the next phase of my work life.

I’ve often found that my entrepreneurial journey over the last two and a half decades has involved numerous endings followed by a rebirth.

Every few years something comes to a natural stop. And then I use the space that opens up to start afresh. Or the universe seems to make a choice for me and delivers me something I can get my teeth into.

Either way, a chapter ends and another begins. And I like that sense of the new - I find it energising.

Right now I’ve got three offerings on the go. I’m revamping a proposition for leaders in organisations; at the final stages of developing a coaching product for founders; and accepting invitations for talks and workshops.

It feels like I’m building a Lego tower, just as I did when I was a kid.

As a child, nothing made me happier than delving into my large crate of Lego bricks, sifting through to find the right proportioned or the right coloured bricks. Closing my eyes, I can hear that unmistakable sound as my hand trawls through the tub of pieces.

So that’s very much my process currently. And in the same way I did as a kid, making up my own designs, I’m not constructing a premade kit. There’s no instruction booklet or numbered steps to follow. I’m simply being intentional about the ‘bricks’ - the projects and the client relationships that matter - that go into the construction.

The future of my business is 100 per cent quality over quantity. I’m being selective about what I’m saying yes to.

Sometimes you just need a blank Lego board on which to rebuild. What are the bricks that go into the project? Which are those that well and truly stay in the crate? Building with intention - I’m excited to see what comes to fruition.

And if you would like to find out any more about my Lego towers, get in touch! ian@iansanders.com