I Need You … You Need Me: 7 Tips to Help You Grow by Giving

No matter where you are in your career path — whether you’re still gaining knowledge and experience, driving your career forward or building your legacy — you can benefit from tapping into your passions and giving back to your community. I’m a case in point. Throughout my life, I’ve been an active mentor and volunteer. I was blessed with parents who instilled those ideas in me. My mom and dad, Gigi and Jim Cotton, were such givers! As teachers, they believed in developing others as well as themselves. They mentored me; they mentored my friends. My childhood friend Richard still remembers my mom’s advice about education: “Once you get it in your head, nobody can take it away from you.”?

The sharing, the giving, the mentoring — it brings to mind a song I love by Hezekiah Walker, “I Need You to Survive.” The lyrics repeat I need you; you need me. We really do need each other, and what we give to each other comes back to us in surprising ways.?

In the spirit of the song, and in celebration of mentoring month, here are seven tips to help you grow by giving:

1. Establish a growth mindset.

Wherever I am and whatever I do, I’m looking to improve, touch others’ lives and give back to people. We all have these opportunities, because we all have colleagues, friends and loved ones who need us.?

The other day, I heard from a fraternity brother, Chris, who’s moving out of corporate life and into his own consulting business. Chris asked me how I made the transition. I told him it hasn’t always been easy. Beginning this phase of my life involved meeting a lot of new people and getting way out of my comfort zone.?

Because I’m mostly a private person, making the decision to put myself out there and start blogging was one of the hardest and scariest things I’ve ever done. But I’ve learned that sometimes the thing you fear most is exactly what you need to do. Once you do it, you discover boundless experiences and possibilities. After I started blogging, I realized it was OK if I wasn’t perfect right out of the blocks. I overcame my fears one by one, and over the past three years I’ve discovered my voice. This blog has become my platform for advocacy.

I’ve discovered that the more I open up personally, which is still hard for me, the more my stories and insights help me connect with likeminded people, inspiring action and dialogue. A highlight of this journey occurred just last night at the Biopharma Leaders of Color annual JP Morgan Conference reception. During a conversation with some colleagues, I unexpectedly met Megan Nacar, the commercial vice president of DeciBio, a strategic consulting company. Megan brightened my evening by sharing that she regularly reads my blogs and finds value in navigating her personal and professional journey. I’m so grateful for her kind words. The support of colleagues like Megan reaffirms the purpose of my work. It means the world to me.

2. Know what you’re aiming for.?

Recently I was reminded of the value of having a clear mission and vision. My colleague Dr. Cuthbert Simpkins, the founder of Vivacelle Bio, asked me: “Why are you advising my company? Why are you helping us secure venture capital?”

I have great admiration for Dr. Simpkins, who’s a medical visionary?and a world-renowned thoracic surgeon with an amazing life story. His work is going to make a huge impact with life-saving, nanoparticle-based therapies for septic shock and severe blood loss. His questions took me aback — in a good way.

I told him I used to be totally focused on the mission of the companies I worked for. But now I’m focused on my mission. It means so much to me, after spending a lifetime working at large corporations, to focus on helping smaller companies run by people who look like me. My work for startups like Vivacelle Bio aligns with my personal mission to achieve greater health equity and eliminate health disparities.

If I hadn’t been aware of my personal mission and vision, I wouldn’t have ended up doing what I love to do. What’s your personal mission and vision?? If you’re not sure, check out this blog. Reflect on who you are at your core and where you want to have the most impact.?

3. Follow your passions. My work as a board member and advisor is one way I’ve followed my passions. Volunteering is another way. My volunteer work is grounded in my mission to help people in underserved communities survive and thrive. I know what that struggle is like because I lived it.?

My volunteering efforts have evolved with each phase of my life. What started as occasional contributions has grown into full-fledged initiatives. As my life has progressed and I’ve gained more experience, resources and network connections, my capacity to affect change has significantly expanded.?

It all started by watching my parents, who were always active in our community. In college, I volunteered through my fraternity. In my 30s, I volunteered as a Big Brother and with my church, First A.M.E.,? I helped collect food and clothing for victims of the Rodney King riots in LA. In Chicago, I served on Trinity United Church of Christ’s health advisory board. In Indy, I’ve volunteered through church on a United Way Christmas fundraiser. Through that experience, I met Ellen Annala, who asked me to serve on the board of the United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI).?

I said “yes,” not really knowing what it was all about, but feeling like it was the right direction. I believe in the United Way’s work as a convener of resources for people in underserved communities, and I thought that by serving on the board I could be more impactful.?

This choice aligned with my broader career objective to eventually serve on corporate boards. Someone once told me: “You don’t stand a chance serving on corporate boards because you’re not a CEO, CFO or general counsel, but if you want to give yourself a shot, start off with nonprofit boards — especially a big nonprofit board.” That advice rang true. The UWCI board was a great way to learn about board governance and structure, committee work and how to comport myself.

During my 12 years on the UWCI board, I served on the governance committee, the executive committee, the strategy committee, the capital campaign committee, the DEI committee and the CEO search committee. Those experiences helped serve my community. They also served me well in my career.

4. Carve out time.? For most people, the biggest barrier to volunteering is time. It’s true it can be difficult to fit in the extra work when you’re juggling a challenging job and family obligations. But I’ve found it’s easy to find time to do the things you’re passionate about. Find feasible and practical ways to get involved, and integrate volunteering into your routine. Set aside a few hours weekly or monthly. With efficiency and planning, you can ensure your contributions remain consistent and impactful.?

When I served on the UWCI board, I had a family and a full-time job, but somehow, I found the time. I discovered that what I learned through volunteering ultimately saved time and advanced my career. Board work exposed me to ideas and strategies I could take back to my regular job. In fact, my volunteer work was applicable to almost everything I had to do. Serving on the board wasn’t wasting time; it was leveraging time. It helped my career take off.??

Years later, I recommended to Kaye Vitug, SVP and CFO at Roche Diagnostics North America, that she join the UWCI board. She did, and she’s made an impact. She told me that the experience helped her expand her corporate board service, too.?

5. Tap into your superpowers.?

Do you know your superpowers? If you don’t, think about it. If you do, put them to use. When you combine your superpowers with your passion, magic happens. One plus one equals more than three! You can see the impact you have on the lives of others as well as your own life.? You get as much as you give — and more. That was my experience with volunteer and donor roles at local organizations like the United Way of Central Indiana, and later the Minority Health Coalition and the Marion County Department of Health. Combining my superpowers in the health care industry with my passion for health equity led to local recognition that completely surprised me.? It also led to new, national-level opportunities that have changed my life.???

6. Make an impact.?

If you want to volunteer but you’re not yet sure where to start, ask a colleague or mentor you trust. Or explore options on your own. When you find an opportunity that interests you, sign up and make plans for how it will fit into your schedule. Consider telling a family member or friend so you can share your experiences. Get involved with communities that align with your mission, vision and passion. To ensure you make an impact:

• Set clear, achievable goals for your efforts
• Regularly reflect on your contributions and outcomes
• Seek feedback and strive for continuous improvement.

7. Enjoy the benefits.?

Volunteering helps you develop empathy and compassion, provides networking opportunities, helps you build new skills that grow your career and enhances your mental and physical health.?

I’ve met so many inspiring people through organizations that align with my mission. Here’s a shortlist for context: The Indianapolis Alzheimer’s Association (AlzIndy), the Black Corporate Board Readiness Program (BCBR), Biopharma Leaders of Color (BLOC), Community Health Network, the Just Society, Life Science Cares, Meharry Medical College, the Minority Engineering Program of Indianapolis (MEPI) and the Termeer Foundation. I’m not active all the time in each of these organizations, but they’re communities I love. I plug in and contribute when I can.?

If a guy like me can be involved in all these groups, you could surely get involved with one, right? Yes, you could!?

If you’re a mentor or leader, set an example and encourage the people who rely on you for support and encouragement to give volunteering a try.? Keep me posted on your progress!

I wish you a Happy New Year filled with inspiration, growth and endless possibilities.