Lee shares a personal experience that has made him reflect on the importance of making challenges and changes feel real for people. He discusses his decision to participate in two charity events, the London Marathon and a 100-kilometre ultra event, and how it only became real for him when he started sharing it with others and receiving donations. Lee explores the significance of emotional attachment and involvement in driving motivation and commitment, emphasising the importance of communication and creating a sense of accountability. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Making something real involves sharing it with others and getting them invested in it. Lee's charity events became real when he created JustGiving pages and told his family and friends. This emotional connection and involvement of others made the challenge feel more tangible and significant.
• Getting people to have "skin in the game" is crucial for leadership challenges and change initiatives. Lee says to think about how you can involve more people and make the challenges feel real to them. This could include working in groups, explaining the impact on a daily basis, selling a vision for the future, or leveraging current pain points to motivate action.
• Having a goal or vision is not enough; it needs to be made real through communication and conscious awareness. 
• Emotional attachment and belief are triggered when something becomes real. Lee's own challenge made him feel physically sick and driven by the fear of letting others down. When something becomes real, it evokes strong emotions and motivates individuals to take action and succeed.
• Planning and structuring are essential in achieving goals. Structuring the journey and aligning actions with intent and goals can lead to success.

BEST MOMENTS

"And ever since that moment, and ever since donations have started to come in, something has happened and it's become real." 

"So, how can we use and leverage people's current feelings of what's not working to help them move towards a neutral state, to help them to move towards an acceptable state to where they want to get to because it's definitely pain that's fueling me at the minute…" 

"The thing that's actually driving me and the thing that made it real was when I shared it with other people. When other people started sponsoring me and I'm driven by, I don't want to let anybody down." 

"What can you do to make it real to people so they can feel what it means to them? So what can you do to make it real? Because when it becomes real, my God, it feels real." 

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Business Problems Solved Podcast         

CONTACT METHOD
You can contact Lee Houghton on 07813342194
[email protected] 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhoughton/

ABOUT THE HOST
For the last 15 years, I have been a multi-sector internal or external business improvement consultant, building the improved capability of individuals, teams and businesses.
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my two young children Jack & India. I also enjoy listening to and reading business & personal development material.
Lee Houghton is “THE Business Problem Solver”, a Management Consultant, CX Specialist and Keynote Speaker.