For the first time in almost two decades, I’m on my own.
Leading teams is challenging, exciting, frustrating, and amazing. It is fulfilling in so many ways. I just enjoy being responsible for people. For providing them the support they need to be successful, whether it’s clearing the road or lending a hand, giving a little career advice or a shoulder to lean on.
I miss it.
It won’t be long. The first members of my new team will be on board after the holidays. In the meantime, I’m feeling the void. The work is certainly there and soon enough the productive chatter and needs of the new team will fill it.
I still miss it.
But what is “it?” I took some time to ponder my current situation and what I missed about having a team. In an unrelated conversation with another professional, he used a word that covered it all.
Connection.
That was it. The thing I missed. The connection leadership offers. Real connection with individuals in a team. To understand their aspirations and fears. To help them achieve one and overcome the other. To be human and real with them in a way that makes you worth following. To share piece of your story in the hope that it inspires them to move forward in their own.
“Find a Need. Fill a Need.” Bigweld from Robots
Knowing what was missing was the first step in filling the void. I could wait for my new team to arrive, but I’m not one for waiting. Instead, I decided to do a little connecting of my own.
A group of people with a common purpose.
I asked a few individuals I know if they want to be a part of a new kind of team. Call it a gathering of like-minded folks, who want to come together for the common purpose of supporting one another. No leader. Just a bunch of leaders sharing ideas and a sense of connection.
The void is gone.
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The opportunity to connect with other leaders is not a new idea. Just something none of us thought to do with one another outside of one-on-one interaction. We tended to think of such gatherings as “events” offered through organizations somewhere outside our own.
Until now.
If you’ve created leadership groups in your company or community, I’d love to hear your ideas or suggestions in the comments. Thank you!
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