I attended a session this week on leadership and resilience, and the facilitator offered that while people can experience success on their own, greatness will always be enhanced when we have a network. A place we can drop our tricky problems and have others look them over what we missed. A place we can just listen to the plans and schemes of the group and glean tidbits that make sense for us. A group with which you feel so that you can just relax and openly talk about things that you fear you have no idea what to do about or if you are even the right person to do it. Your network is made up of your people, people you know may challenge you but ultimately want you to succeed and do better. Your networks can include co-workers, friends and family.
In the same session, we were asked to talk about areas in which we needed to improve, and then create our answers in Play-Doh – an interesting activity crafted by the facilitator. One participant created a yield sign. She explained that she often wants to barrel ahead and fix, advise, guide and lead in every situation. So, for her, the yield sign means, slow down, look, listen, engage and merge into what is needed and desired in the interaction.
I love that analogy. Merging can be about speeding up, waiting, slowing down. (In fact, my daughter will drive up to 10 km out of her way to avoid merging as she gets so nervous deciding what to do.) Being in a group can mean yielding, listening and challenging, but in the end we are heading in the same direction.
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