Can you really go it alone any more?
Over the weekend, I had lunch with a friend and former client of mine and we got to talking about the idea of community. She confessed to being someone who has always liked to 'go it alone'. Her family dynamics as an only child with very busy parents combined with her independent personality had pushed her into thinking that she could really only rely on herself. This didn't mean that she completely isolated herself - she is married, she has a good job that she is successful doing, but her default modus operandi has always been to get things done by relying only on herself.
A few months ago, she looked up from a long haul of caring for her elderly parents, who resided in LA, to realize that she had become pretty isolated from any kind of meaningful community here in the Bay Area. We had a fun couple of sessions together brainstorming ways in which she could re-engage - what groups she could join, what events she could attend and where she could find her 'peeps'. Since then, she has made a big effort to get more involved, instead of standing on the periphery or taking the default position of staying home in the evenings and being in bed by 9. Yet, it was only recently that she realized that she was still avoiding really engaging - asking the folks in her network to help her achieve her goals.
As part of a leadership program she is now involved with, she has been asked to dream up and execute on a project where she does something to make a difference in her community. This has sparked a lot of great ideas and one, in particular, she has decided to pursue. For the first time in a long time, she is making lists of people who she knows who might be able to help her accomplish her pilot project. She is making calls to people she met years ago and making appointments to get on their calendar. She is telling everyone she knows about this exciting idea she has and listening to their ideas and getting their introductions to help her achieve her goals. She is no longer isolated. Instead, she is practicing one of the principles of the Well-Connected Woman Leader. You CAN and SHOULD involve others in your endeavors. Not only will you be more likely to get them done, you will have a lot more fun along the way.
Do you agree?
Posted by Denise Brosseau on 15th March, 2010 | Comments
Tags: network, well-connected leader, community
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