Hayley’s goal is to help the world communicate with more ‘human-ness’, collaborate with authenticity and unlock creativity for everyone. She wants to inspire the world with beautiful, visual stories. Founder and Chief Doodler of Thoughts Drawn Out, Hayley combines her extensive skills and experience in communications, capability development, and human centred design to help people define problems, set compelling strategies, make change happen and tell their story.
What is your favourite, or most used, inspirational quote?
The first is Dr. Seuss, “You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” The second is from the greatest philosopher of our time, Ferris Beuller, who said, “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you could miss it.”
What does great decision making look and feel like for you?
I only ever think about decision-making when it’s a big deal. When it’s a decision that you’re afraid to make. So I think good decision-making in that context for me is when I’m afraid but I find my way through it and when I look back, I can back that decision.
When was a time you were at your decision making best?
Moving my family from the city to our farm where we live now is probably a good example. It was a big deal, it was scary, but because it was purpose led we really wanted it and we knew we wanted it. We had to just break down the big hard decisions into littler decisions, and we got there.
Who inspires you? Why?
I have a lot of people who inspire me but a key one, and it’s probably a little bit left field, would be my boy, Hugo. I love seeing that the barrier to trying something new or creative is non-existent, he just does it. It’s so interesting how we complicate the hell out of things with: oh I’ve got to plan it, and I’ve got to break it down and how am I going to do it and do I have the skills. He’ll just look at something and go: I like that, I’m having a crack.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to be a better decision maker?
My advice for anyone, whether they’re decision-making or noodling their way through anything is, don’t do it all in your head. Get a piece of paper and a pen and draw it out. There’s no right or wrong way to do it but once you get it out of your mind and onto the page, it will get clearer regardless.
What are you reading/watching at the moment?
I am re-reading Simon Sinek’s Start with Why, just felt like the right time to revisit that. I just finished rereading Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly, I’m revisiting all my old faves.
What is the most effective strategy you use for keeping your Ape (your emotional reactive state) in check?
I think I have two main strategies. The first is I have to get out of my own head. For me, that is getting it onto a page, draw it out and make sense of it as a tactile thing. The second is that I have go to people that I know I can bounce things off of, they will talk me through things and help me work it out for myself.
What type of decision maker are you?
Questioning Activist.
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