In the UK, research shows that employees are more engaged when leaders provide a compelling vision.
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), leaders who communicate a clear vision play a crucial role in building motivation, resilience, and overall engagement within teams (CIPD, 2021).

To be ahead in business today, successful leaders require not just strategy but also vision. By utilising coaching methods such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), hypnosis, and executive coaching, leaders can effectively realise their vision in a manner that deeply connects with their teams, fostering lasting change.
This article explores three powerful coaching techniques—Big-Picture Framing, Metaphor Exploration, and Future Pacing—that can help leaders inspire, align, and guide their teams toward a shared vision.
1. Big-Picture Framing: Setting a Broader Context
Big-Picture Framing connects immediate actions to long-term goals, allowing leaders to help teams see beyond day-to-day tasks. Using NLP in executive coaching, Big-Picture Framing encourages leaders to guide their teams to think beyond their current challenges, reminding them that each task contributes to a larger journey (Senge, 2006). In this way, leaders create a cohesive narrative that helps employees stay connected to the overall mission.
How Big-Picture Framing Works
In an executive coaching session, Big-Picture Framing might involve guided reflection, helping leaders articulate how daily objectives fit into the broader vision. By focusing on values and future goals, this technique helps create alignment, which is critical for inspiring motivation and engagement.
Practical Tip for Leaders:
When initiating a new project or discussing a setback, spend a few minutes framing it within the larger context of your organisation’s mission. This can be as simple as reinforcing, “This project brings us closer to our larger goal of creating a lasting impact in our industry.”
2. Metaphor Exploration: Making Vision Tangible Through Storytelling
Metaphors are powerful tools in NLP and executive coaching, helping leaders make complex visions feel more relatable. With Metaphor Exploration, leaders can turn abstract ideas into tangible concepts by linking them to familiar experiences. This technique uses storytelling and metaphors to help teams emotionally connect with the vision, building commitment and enthusiasm (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003).
How Metaphor Exploration Works
Imagine your vision as a journey. Leaders might frame the vision as a “voyage of discovery” toward innovation, with each phase representing a significant milestone. In this way, employees can visualise their progress, helping them understand how current actions align with long-term goals.
Practical Tip for Leaders:
When discussing vision, introduce metaphors that illustrate your mission. For example, if innovation is a key goal, use a metaphor like “building a bridge to the future.” Reinforce this metaphor through regular communication to help employees see their work as part of this journey.
3. Future Pacing: Experiencing Success in Advance
Future Pacing is a popular NLP technique that helps leaders and teams experience the emotional impact of achieving their goals. In hypnosis and NLP practices, Future Pacing allows individuals to “step into” a future reality, feeling the rewards of success in advance. This exercise builds motivation by creating a vivid, positive association with future achievements (Dilts, 1999).
How Future Pacing Works
Future Pacing sessions might include guided visualisation, where leaders are invited to imagine their organisation a year from now, having achieved a major milestone. This approach allows individuals to experience success in advance, building a sense of motivation and alignment with the company’s goals.
Practical Tip for Leaders:
During team meetings, encourage your team to close their eyes and imagine what success will feel like in the future. This exercise not only builds motivation but also helps reinforce a positive connection to the vision.
Vision and Leadership: The Takeaway
Through NLP, hypnosis, and executive coaching, leaders can build a compelling vision that fosters motivation and commitment. These three techniques—Big-Picture Framing, Metaphor Exploration, and Future Pacing—offer practical ways to make that vision more actionable and inspiring. By integrating these tools into leadership practices, executives can help their teams feel more connected to a meaningful future.
- Big-Picture Framing enables teams to see how daily tasks contribute to a larger mission.
- Metaphor Exploration makes abstract ideas relatable, fostering emotional connection.
- Future Pacing lets teams experience the rewards of success in advance, building motivation and focus.
Using these coaching techniques, leaders can craft and communicate a vision that brings purpose and clarity to their organisations, empowering teams to work together toward a common goal.
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Author: Mark Tanchcoco Reid, Founder of MTR Performance Coaching
References:
- CIPD. (2021). Good Work Index 2021: UK Working Lives. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/trends/goodwork
- Dilts, R. (1999). Visionary Leadership Skills: Creating a World to Which People Want to Belong. Meta Publications.
- Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2003). Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press.
- Senge, P. M. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Doubleday.
- Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations. Jossey-Bass.
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