I regularly read blogs and articles about the importance of renewal to refresh yourself – and with recommendations you join a network, surround yourself with a tribe of people, book yourself into a retreat, participate in a development program, read some books and so continues the plethora of ideas. Your choices are also impacted by your personality preferences – those with extraversion have a greater propensity to surround themselves with people so they can engage in conversation; while those with introversion must find times and places where they can embrace solitude.
What I have come to think about is the power of evolution – a certain group of people might serve you for a reason or a season and then to renew again you benefit from moving on to somewhere and something different………or do you? This is an issue I am currently contemplating as we shift into an era of so many different networking groups and Institutes you can join so you are able to network with fellow members. Do you join for life, do you join for a season or for a reason? It is possibly different for everyone. It is important to have a clear goal and reason – what do you want to achieve from being involved. You might also be happy to continue your involvement so you can “give back”. So much to consider – differentiate your tribes perhaps – so you have those that enable business development and those that encourage personal renewal. Then what you expect and need from each becomes very different. The level of trust is critical to success and must be well defined, nurtured and facilitated. Or do we just “bumble along” in the knowledge we will get something out of it – even if it is only outside of the actual events with the people you choose to connect with individually in a separate meeting?
Young professionals are encouraged to “network” while more seasoned professionals seek out ways to renew and refresh within a “network” or they may want to develop new business within a network – and we might all find ourselves in the same place. This can be incredibly exciting and exhilarating if we come with trust and it can prove to be very confusing and frustrating if we don’t create clarity of purpose for ourselves and for others if appropriate.
I am challenging myself around this issue of renewing and refreshing by joining a tribe – because I see lots of people remain in a group of people, build comfort with this group and eventually could even be perceived as becoming “insular” – with their tribal language and comfortable rituals that outsiders might not “get”. The risk is that divergent thinking slows down as people don’t want to “upset” each other; and behavioural norms risk shifting into the “comfort” of the façade we have each created. Breaking away from the comfort of such a tribe can take courage as you move away from the safety that has been created. Or is it possible for this safety to propel us into rich relationships that continue to encourage each person to truly grow and feel encouraged to challenge the status quo without fear of retribution – not sure?
My contemplation continues and I’d be thrilled to hear others thoughts as they consider the same issue.
