How Can Networks Help You Build Your Personal Power?

It was a frightening chapter in my life when I lost my personal power.

It started in Spring 2018, and I had just separated from my husband. I suddenly lived alone.

I woke up in a sweat one morning at 4:30 am. I looked around and I said, “I live by myself now. What will happen if I fall ill, and I am immobilized? How will I care for my cats? I'm scared.”

Even though I lived in a busy suburb, I felt more isolated than ever.

I mobilized quickly, and I created a virtual “love army.” Seven friends for each day of the week.

For eight months, I would check in with one person per day, before 10 am, to let them know I was alright. I texted my state of mind, body, and spirit. They would respond with a positive message, photo, or call.

It worked. The 4:30 am panic moments disappeared. The Love Army helped me defeat panic and persistent feelings of loneliness.

As I look back at the past 15 months, I realize that isolation is probably one of the worst aftershocks of my divorce. And it’s also an aftershock we feel from the pandemic.

I can thank my powerful friend network for helping me heal. Yet the true “power” started with me—it required me to “restore” my own personal power and resilience.

As we divorce ourselves from the pandemic, we need to build new networks and support structures for ourselves. They are the building blocks to help us be a better, more resilient version of ourselves.

Our former selves are forever gone. We get to do things differently now, and to be an even better version of ourselves.

Bruce Turkel, Forbes bestselling author of All About Them and corporate branding expert, joined me during my recent Mindful Marketer Life Stream to unpack this topic further. We sat down to talk about how leaders can build their personal power by building powerful networks. Here’s the replay.

We unpacked what we mean by personal power, what makes a powerful network, and how you can personally go seek out a great network that not only works for you, but where you can expose your superpowers as a leader.

Here are some of the highlights:

• 7:34 – How do we define personal power?
• 8:32 – How can you bolster your personal power, even during a pandemic?
• 11:55 – What is a networking group vs a peer network?
• 17:13 – The big 4: contacts, skill sets, experience, and talent
• 27:53 – The importance of intimacy to sustain powerful networks
• 30:15 – How can you ensure diversity in your community?
• 33:42 - Three things to look for when you join a group

Bruce and I love working together and building community. I hope you, too, will find your Love Army (or armies!) as you design the healthy road ahead.

Join me the first 3 Fridays of every month at 1:30pm ET for the Mindful Marketer Live Stream. Follow Lisa on LinkedIn to receive a notification when we go live. You can also click here to view past episodes.

P.S. Are you a high performing marketing leader who feels like your career and post-pandemic digital strategy have stalled? Contact Callyn to learn more about our upcoming “Digital CMO” session, June 8 at 10 am ET and reserve your seat. (sorry, no agencies, solopreneurs or vendors invited).

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