Building Your Success Tribe
This guest post written by Anne Martin is part of our series illuminating strategies that support more women in STEM.
Earlier this year, Wogrammer community member Myra Nawabi outlined her 8C success strategy for women in STEM. After naming four barriers that hold women back — culture, cash, child care and confidence — she suggested cultivating a community of cheerleaders, confidants, coaches and collaborators to help us overcome these roadblocks.
Most of us have a circle of friends and colleagues whom we can count on. However, building our personal board of directors requires expanding beyond that cozy network and reaching out to people with the skills, experience and resources necessary to help us reach our goals.
Before you start building your tribe, take some time to answer these four questions.
What do you Want?
Since your goal is going to shape the type of advisors you’ll need, get clear about what you want to achieve. Is it a new job or promotion? Is it the opportunity to earn a graduate degree? Do you want to start a business? You’ll most likely need a different group of advisors when you’re job searching than when you’re exploring graduate school.
What’s Stopping You?
Next, identify the biggest barrier standing between you and your goal. Is it an unsupportive work environment, low self- confidence or a lack of financial resources? Perhaps it’s another hurdle such as a limited network or a lack of experience. If there’s more than one roadblock, identify the principal one that — if removed — will help eliminate other barriers.
For example, if you’re an IT engineer who wants to reinvent yourself as a marketing professional, your barriers might be a lack of both experience and marketing skills, as well as a very limited network. In this case, by first focusing on expanding your network, you’ll meet the marketing professionals who can point you to avenues for acquiring those skills and experience.
Who Can Help You?
Once you’re clear about your goals and the barriers to be overcome, list the types of advisors you’ll need to support you.
If you’re seeking a promotion and your biggest barriers are an unsupportive team culture and a lack of confidence, you might seek out a more senior person to mentor you or a professional coach, who can help you boost your confidence and navigate corporate politics.
Next, determine whether anyone in your immediate circle might be able to assist you or connect you with somebody who can.
Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and expand your network. Take this opportunity to reconnect with former colleagues, classmates and mentors. Consider reaching out to people you know through your volunteer work or your children’s activities. You know a lot more people than you may realize!
When requesting assistance, articulate clearly what you’re trying to achieve and how that individual might help you. As you’re building or re-kindling relationships, take time to learn more about your advisors’ interests, dreams and challenges and look for ways you can support them. Nurture those relationships by staying connected and updating your tribe on your progress.
Who can YOU help?
Building a community isn’t just about providing others the opportunity to enrich their lives by supporting you but also about extending a helping hand to others. In the words of Les Brown “help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.”
Pay it forward by looking for opportunities to be a confidant, coach, collaborator and cheerleader to others. Better still, before you even need help, go out of your way to lift others up — whether it’s coming to the aid of a colleague who’s overwhelmed with work demands or mentoring teenagers who are interested in STEM careers.
Cultivating a giving spirit that seeks ways to be of service to others will make it easier for you to connect with the allies and mentors you need to support you. Under the universal law of the harvest, all that you send into the lives of others comes back into your own life. This creates a virtuous circle of giving as you expand your influence and your network and are able to be of service to even more people.
Taking Your First Step
If you’re wondering how to begin building your success tribe, start by being a champion, confidant, collaborator or coach to another person in your workplace or community. You will not only experience the joy of giving but will soon discover that all you give will be multiplied back into your own life.
Start building your success tribe by extending a helping hand to another today!
Anne Martin is a Reinvention Strategist, Certified Professional Performance Coach and speaker with the mission of empowering people to achieve meaningful success. Connect with her and learn more at www.daretoreinvent.com.
