Women in Bizz build a flywheel of Collabs
OK let’s start this one off with a little visualization, shall we??
Close your eyes – yes doooo it!! Ok ok, first read the passage below and then close your eyes!!
Think of a wheel, specifically a bike wheel. It spins graciously when it is built correctly, maintained over time with good, kind attention, regular pressure checks and the occasional pump of air. Maybe this wheel is even a fly wheel that needs the momentum of its surroundings to gain great speed. Ok close your eyes and just see this with me for a minute.
Ok, no open now ‘em!
This wheel of fortune we are collectively visualizing is flying! And it’s gaining momentum by building concentric circles with women in business in a global way; using social media built by women for women as it’s expressway to cruise at optimal speed. How this wheel is built is particularly important because it relies on the internal spokes of the wheel to be strong & supported, tended to and caressed, massaged with extra care, the kind you give your most cherished relationships.
And collaboration is just that: deeply tended to relationships that have the same goal in mind. As I like to call it: same mission, different copy.
A note on those parts of the circle that are called to be strong & supported arms to keep the mission rolling are also relying on other spokes to hold the weight of the wheel’s momentum together, so each spoke has a moment of reprieve from carrying the full weight of the wheel. The spokes, as you can guess, are the people who make the mission come alive & keep us collectively moving forward.
The women we feature on the LBI Backstage Pass are really the integral part of collaboration held together by the hub, the smaller yet incredibly important concentric circle that energizes the larger, exterior circle. Currently, I am the hub and there is absolutely no way on earth I could keep the wheel spinning without all the strong spokes aka women in business in our community and on our LBI crew!
It is my personal goal to collaborate from a place of integrity & kindness as I lead our internal LBI crew ( 9 and growing strong!) and as we share externally with our network on the LBI Backstage Pass.
The wheel itself has to have these various components to allow for the circle to really spin in a balanced, fluid way and so does a circular model of business leadership through collaboration.
Community is the wheel and each of our individual roles are the spokes that keep the collab flywheel spinning. This visual is really what inspires me to build, grow and lead our community on the LBI Backstage Pass to be truly collaborative. Knowledge I gained from personal experience of opening & running a community bike program during my undergraduate studies at Warren Wilson College taught me that each of the spokes need to also be tended to regularly to ensure the wheel aka the community’s overall health & growth.
As individuals, we have super important roles on our own that support the mission at large. In true collaboration, the mission is shared by all the folks aka spokes to help the wheel keep spinning. This is something that my alma matter WWC had us eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
Now where this gets really juicy: how we as women in business flex on our own personal strengths AND reflect them fully back into communities that not only support our individual goals but also those of the greater good for our shared humanity. See business activism, putting our money where our mouth is, walking the talk and talking the walk! Studies overwhelmingly show that when women have more money, we invest that money not only in our inner circles but also within our communities, too. Again, women are true collaborators!!
In other models of business, commerce and even simply said, power structures, there is a more top down model that serves the few leaders of the organization first and the rest trickles down to the worker bees. I’m here to flip that script, to truly do business differently in a more collaborative fashion and as such, we end up sharing more of our tools & resources with our community; which in turn allows us more seats at the table & to see more women in roles of leadership.
The reason I love to collaborate with women who are industry disruptors and thought leaders is because we not only naturally collaborate, we can take these collaborations to the next level and actually elevate each other !! Be sure to stay tuned for next month’s theme on the LBI Backstage Pass where we elevate all month long.
Looking forward to a collaboration with you soon, Boss!
How can YOU Collaborate with US?? Get your Boss butt to the LBI Backstage Pass !!!
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Love,
