Which Way to Success?

We all want to be successful, to thrive in our professional endeavors. And there are a lot of people and products out there that promise a simple path to certain success. But real results come when we do our core work, connect with key people, and get curious in a community.?

Chances are you are already crushing it in one or two of these areas: working in and on your business and/or developing professional connections. The third area, leaning into community, is getting some buzz, but the path there isn’t as clear. Let’s consider why all three are important ingredients to our success.?

The Rugged Individual Route.?

This is the core of our work and what puts money in the bank. Put your head down, focus on the task at hand, invest in client relationships. Ignore this path and our endeavors will crumble faster than we can say “dissatisfied customer.”?

But when we are fractionals (or any kind of solopreneur), this is a limiting, isolating way to work. Where do we go with our questions? How do we climb up the learning curve? When do we get a dose of camaraderie and understanding from other independent professionals??

You’ve probably asked yourself these questions, and followed the breadcrumbs here to the Voyageur U community. We’re damn glad you did!?

The Networked Pro Path.?

When we network in a transactional manner, we get a LinkedIn contact list of 500+ people that we know little about and get little from.??

But when we consistently reach out to give and get help, and to generate fresh ideas, what goes around comes around. Reliable connections expand our work with introductions, referrals, and tips. We get filled up on the endorphins of empowering others, bringing good, clean energy into our work. Our work is transformed.?

(New Voyageurs, in case you don’t know this already, you’ve landed in a stream of support. Members come to this community to give and get help, in that order. This isn’t just a John Arms snack-sized bit of wisdom. It’s the way people behave week in and week out.)?

The Community Chemistry Ecosystem.??

While networking is typically a one-to-one endeavor, community engagement is much more amorphous, organic, and multi-layered.?

We can network in groups and organizations, meeting people individually, deepening relationships with those who resonate with us and our work. Or we can go a step further — with intentional, purposeful practices — to fully tap into the talent and wisdom of the group and positively impact the community as a whole.?

Community Chemistry embraces a general plan for connecting with and learning from others, and is open to the experimentation and surprises that are part of the process. It’s an approach that goes beyond following the leaders of a group to letting our curiosity lead the way to sharing information, inviting interaction, and creating cross-pollination across wide swaths of members.?

Braiding these approaches for strength and success.

How do we augment the Rugged Individual and Networked Pro lanes to help shape VU (and any other group we are a part of) with some of our own unique chemistry and insight??

Here are some specific steps.?

1)????????Pick ONE platform where you will engage with the group. Pretty easy with Voyageur U, with our LinkedIn private group where everyone is as close as the “Show All” button in the member section. For your own community or other groups you are involved in, select a platform/communication tool where you are regularly present and where your people are frequently active.??

2)????????Dedicate TWO hours a month to engage with group members and the collective community. Six minutes a day? 30 minutes a week? 2 hour-long sessions a month? You pick based on what works for you. Touch base with people you’ve already met and people you want to get to know. Surf the community feed for posts that resonate with you, add insight, or stretch your thinking. Like and share. But also add a comment to show your appreciation or extend the conversation. And shape the community conversation with your own voice and experience: share an idea, question, tip, or request with the group at large.?

3)????????Practice THREE ways of engaging with people. Appreciate something specific they do that inspires or empowers you in your work. Understand more of what they do, why, and how you can help. Cross-pollinate your connections by introducing them to other people who might be helpful, to ideas and resources that are relevant, and to groups that reflect their values and passions.?

4)????????Find people who can move you FORward. People who support you across a variety of ways. People who strengthen you with skills that complement your own. People who stretch your thinking with different perspectives. And, of course, return the favor with generous giving to sustain the relationship.?

5)????????Join us at Finnovation Lab on Wednesday, June 21, when we will explore and apply ways to enrich Voyageur U’s community chemistry!?

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Which step feels like your next right thing to diving deeper into this community? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Liz Otteson ?is a creative person who loves to play with ideas, an introvert who craves collaboration, and a teacher who is passionate about helping others live out their full potential. Liz runs CoLab community, dedicated to making communities nationwide more nutritious for their members.