We live in a relationship economy. Work gets done with and through other people.
Full stop.
“Doubling down” and working harder, “figuring it out” on your own, and burning the wick at both ends is an express lane to burn out.
We are social beings. We are not meant to exist in isolation.
When we engage our networks, internally and externally, we open ourselves up to innumerable possibilities and benefits.
So you can see why I’ve included Connection as one of the anchors of the Leadership Fluency Framework. It’s silly to think we can “go it alone” and be successful.
Here are just four ways real-world examples of how tapping into your network can support you:
Increased Productivity
→I used to work for a large multinational organization. My friend Sue worked for a burgeoning tech company. We routinely shared (non-proprietary) information so that we didn’t have to create programs from scratch. For example: “Hey, got any information on performance management I can share with my leadership team?” “I need to help managers understand the basics of compensation. Have you done anything like this before?” While the cultures were vastly (VASTLY!) different, this gave us each a starting point for our respective projects.
Support
→ I’m running a women’s mastermind group. Recently a topic of discussion was “Sharing bad news with the CEO.” Participants were able to offer experience and insights to each other that helped them prepare for challenging discussions. This was also tied in increased productivity and diversity of thought, since these leaders weren’t sitting in a vacuum alone trying to figure out their best approach. They crowd-sourced information to identify the best path forward.
Diversity of Thought
→ Since 2016, I have been partnering with NEHRA to create, deliver, and tweak the Executive HR Women’s Leadership Program. (The application window is now open for the September cohort!) Every year, we review what worked and what needs to shift based on evolutions in the HR space. To do this, NEHRA pulls in different Chief People Officers or subject matter experts to offer insight and deliver new content. In doing so, we have input from a wide range of companies and industries and are able to create a robust offering to women who aspire to the C-Suite, with information that is widely applicable. The diversity of thought is much greater than if the organization were to create something on its own.
Covering Your A$$ (in a good way)
→ I rely heavily on Katelyn to get this note out every week. (Really, if I was doing it solo, there would be no weekly note!) Last week there was a confluence of situations that resulted in me being overtired, overwhelmed, and confused about dates, specifically for a recent note. I was equally grateful and relieved when she texted early on a Saturday morning to ask if I had made the changes I said I wanted to make to the test email. Without her, you would not have heard about 28 Ways to Support Your Wellbeing. 🙂
Need more ideas? Head on over to my blog – I have several articles on networking that can support you – here, here, here, and here.
Bottom line, look for opportunities to engage with your network and watch what happens next!
