A few years ago, I worked with Natalie who negotiated a 60% increase in compensation. What always stands out to me about that negotiation is how powerful Natalie’s vision board was in helping her set and reach that goal.

Here’s what we know from Gail Matthews’ research on achieving your goals (from Fast Forward):

– Folks who write their goals down are 42% more likely to achieve them

– Folks who share their goals with a friend and then “check in” regularly are 25% more likely to achieve those goals

After working with Natalie back in 2021, I decided to try my hand at a vision board. This is what mine currently looks like: 

As you can see, it’s a mish-mash of personal and professional, likely-to-hit (an annual trip with my partner) and this-would-be-crazy dreams (Reese Witherspoon supporting a book I wrote about negotiating as a woman).

At this point, I have spoken to well over a hundred women about their negotiation experiences. There is one question that is most likely to be the unlock in our conversation.

This question forces us to set aside the mental calculations (and sometime societal limitations) of what we think is possible and dream like a 6-year-old. From that beautiful dream, folks can usually pull out a few things you can change today, plenty you can change in the next year, and what vision of the future lights you up:

“If I gave you my magic wand, what would your life look like in a year?”