Whether you’re a small business owner, or you’re a leader in a large company, the temptation to go out alone is great. But true success is achieved only when you’re able to find others to help you along in your journey, when you are able to harness the power of community.
There’s a lot of advantages to not going it alone. First, you get different perspectives. A big part of growth, even in a large business when we’re surrounded by others, is to get outside perspectives. It can be good to get different perspectives of people outside of your company, outside of your organization, outside of your business or even outside of your industry. Outsiders will see things from a different angle. These outside perspectives will often shed light on things that you never thought about, and will help you develop a well-rounded approach to your business.
Another thing that community will do for you is to challenge your blind spots. We all have these blind spots– beliefs that need to be challenged. Often, we find ourselves set in our ways, we develop unbending habits. These habits can really limit how much we grow, whether it’s personal growth or whether it’s growing our business. Having people to help you see these blind spots and get past them can be a significant contributor to your success. Growth really happens when your blind spots are challenged.
A third advantage that often in a community you will find that there are people that are a couple of steps ahead of you. Someone has already overcome the same challenges that you are facing. There is a real opportunity to learn from them, to learn from their mistakes, to learn from their failures, and to learn from their successes. This will help you navigate the learning curve more quickly.
Accountability is another advantage to being in a community. This is especially true for entrepreneurs, and others who don’t have a boss holding them accountable. Having a group of people who will help hold you accountable is a powerful tool to ensure that you’re always moving forward.
Finally, don’t overlook your basic social needs—this is especially true for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who are often alone day after day. But it can also be important for people that work in companies surrounded by other people on a day-to-day basis. There are often things in any business that aren’t appropriate or comfortable to share with your coworkers or other leaders. Having that community available to you, outside of your workplace or your business can be a great addition to any rising executive’s toolkit.
I can’t emphasize enough that there is real strength in having a community around you. Don’t try to go it alone. There’s no need to. You’ll find your growth is so much faster when you surround yourself with likeminded people.
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