The Invisible Mentor » Support Network

Going for Gold

Avil Beckford — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:30:20 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

This post was inspired by the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. On Monday, a friend invited me over for dinner, Family Day, a holiday in a few Canadian provinces including Ontario where I reside. She has been glued to her television watching the competitions. I hadn’t watched any of the competitions so far and took the opportunity to do so.

We watched snowboarding and what an adrenaline rush, and I wasn’t even competing. Of course as a Jamaican-Canadian I was rooting for Mike Robertson, the Canadian who was a very close second behind the American competitor, Seth Wescott. For a while Robertson was leading, but Wescott took the lead at the last minute to win the gold medal. Both Mike Robertson and Seth Wescott are winners in my book.

There are times in life when we give it all we have and yet we do not win. There is no reason to feel badly because we did the best we could with what we had. Unlike the Olympics, in the absence of competition, how do you test yourself to ensure that you show up as your best self most of the time? What activities do you perform daily to ensure that you become better and do not stagnate in your field? How often do you Go for the Gold in life?

Who do you have in your support network to coach, mentor, motivate, inspire, challenge and question you, so that you reach deep within to draw on your reserves to eke out a little bit more even when you think you have nothing more to give?

WE all need a support network of people to help up show up as our best selves most of the time. In what ways are you similar to athletes? What leadership lessons can you learn from athletes?

P.S. I will be rooting for Errol Kerr who makes up the Jamaica Ski Team. Kerr a freestyle skier, is doing the unexpected. It doesn’t matter whether he wins or lose, the point is that he tried and the point is that he showed up, and the point is he went against the grain.

Keep the conversation flowing. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

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Who You Gonna Call When You Need a Backer

Avil Beckford — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:30:10 +0000

Who is in your support network? Who are you going to call on when you are in a tight spot? Recently, Josh Hanagarne, from the World’s Strongest Librarian wrote a fun post titled “I’ve Joined A Gang That You Shouldn’t Mess With.” In the post he talks about the people he would summon if he were in a tight spot: Pinhead from Hellraiser, Dalton From Roadhouse, John Mclane from Die Hard, Blacula, and Bill The Butcher. As you can see there are only men on his team.

Liz Muirhead came back with “I’ve Joined a Gang That You Shouldn’t Mess With Part II” in response to Josh’s post. On her team she would like to have Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in T2, Uma Thurman in Kill Bill 1&2, Kate Beckinsale as Selene in Underworld, Jessica Biel as Abigail Whistler in Blade: Trinity, and Sigourney Weaver as Lt. Ellen Ripley in Aliens. Liz has an all female team that she would call on.

I thought about it and decided to join in the fun. If I were in a tight spot, personally or professionally here are the five people that I would like to have on my team:

Anja Creed, lead character in Alex Archer’s Rogue Angel series.

In the book Anja is an archaeologist who goes on unique digs. But what I like about her is that she often uses her brain to get her out of tight spots. She has excellent analytical skills and knows how to fill in the gaps. She is a questioner and exercises due diligence in most cases. If force is called for, she also knows how to kick some serious ass.

Richard Dean Anderson‘s character MacGyver from the hit TV show of the same name

MacGyver was always able to work with whatever he had to find a very workable solution.

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein said, “You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.” With any problem that I had, Einstein would help me to rise above it and uncover an innovative solution.

Estee Lauder

I would like Estee Lauder on my team because she was a woman ahead of her time and she would assist me in thinking differently and taking the path less traveled.

Thomas Alva Edison

Persistence pays and I’d like someone who has lived it. Edison keeps at it and when I get frustrated I would like someone to encourage me to go on until I found the right solution.

The team that I have chosen could watch my back in many different situations, and collectively, I think they would help to bring out my best self. And I would learn from them in the process, isn’t that what life is about? I enjoyed writing this post because it forced me to think, and the interesting thing is that I had no idea who I would choose when I started writing the post. Who would you want on your team to watch your back, and why? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please comment. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

I’ve Joined A Gang That You Shouldn’t Mess With

I’ve Joined a Gang That You Shouldn’t Mess With Part II

Image Credit: via Apture

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How to Build Your Support Network

Avil Beckford — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:30:57 +0000

There is truth to the adage that no one succeeds alone: the Lone Ranger had Tonto, and Bud Abbot had Lou Costello. They needed and relied on each other to achieve their goals. Even the self-made millionaire used “somebody’s” resources to achieve professional success. It makes sense to have a system that allows people to pool their mental capacities to solve problems, generate great ideas and perhaps even conquer the world.

Who do you have on your support team, the people who watch your back?

Your support network should consist of about four to six people who are committed to helping each other achieve their goals. Members of this support network do not have to be from the same company, they just have to have a willingness to help others while helping themselves. Each member of the network assumes the role of “buddy” or sidekick to the other members.

Why You Need a Support Network

As part of the work I do, I interview accomplished people, and a recurring theme is the importance of having a group of people who support you and cheer you on. The language may differ from person-to-person, but the message is clear: “You need a team of advisers, people who you can call on, you need people to be accountable to, no one succeeds alone, you need people to watch your back.

How to Find Members for your Support Network

Identify people in your diverse networks whose goals, personal mission and values intersect with yours
Initially, get together to talk about what is important to you, and where you would like to see yourselves in five years
Brainstorm various ways to fill the gap between where you are, to where you want to be
Before committing, take the group for a test drive to discover if real chemistry is there

Desired Characteristics of the Members in your Support Network

Leaders
Willingness to share wisdom, knowledge and experiences
Ability to explain, teach and communicate
Capacity to listen actively
Old enough to have learned important life lessons
Accomplished and possess extraordinary perception
Unique ability to sort out the valuable from the superfluous
Facilitates understanding
Enlightened and understand that the world is bigger than them
Inspiring
Willingness to help others succeed
Engaging
Well-read and has exceptional intellect
Demonstrates intellectual inquiry
Problem solvers
Change makers
Passionate

Characteristics of Highly Successful Support Networks

Established ground rules
Clear purpose and well-defined expectations
Non-competitive relationship among members
Safe and secure environment
Absolute confidentiality
Group has structure and focus
Members pool knowledge and resources
Encourage each other to achieve personal and professional goals
Members support and encourage each other to overcome obstacles
Personal chemistry within circles among members is important
Respect for diverse backgrounds and needs of co-mentors
Values among co-mentors are aligned
Members are people whom you trust
Members have to be people with whom you can speak freely to
Improve upon each other’s unique skills
Members recognize both academic and non-academic achievements/professional and non-professional achievements of each other
Commit to meet between one to two hours every two weeks
Evaluate regularly to determine if the needs of all members are being addressed by the group

Rotate roles and responsibilities among group members. Members in your support network could be co-mentors to each other. In today’s environment, standing still is no longer an option in work and life. Use your support to partner your way to success.

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