Thought Leaders Unpacked -> The Soul of a Leader #2: Finding Partners
This chapter was a challenge for me.
At first blush, I don’t seem to do partnership very well.
It’s not that I have anything against partnership, sharing or working with others. In fact, I’m a big believer in the complementary nature of people’s interests, skills and working styles.
But the fact remains that partnership has proven elusive.
Benefiel offers three phases of extending one’s hand in partnership.
1. Speaking the heart’s truth
2. Seeking resonance
3. Inviting partnership
Speaking, seeking, and inviting.
What though, if one (me) is running into bumps in the course of the speaking, seeking and inviting?
What if one is getting blank stares when speaking one’s heart truth?
It could be an issue of vocabulary. New ideas are sometimes outside of people’s perceptions. Bridging vocabulary needs to be found before understanding can happen.
What if one is getting only polite nods when seeking resonance? How do we locate those who will appreciate, understand and get as excited as we are about our idea?
For some of us this is a real conundrum. It’s wearying to tell the story so many times with so little to show for it. How do I keep my spirits in the game? What is my learning edge here?
And finally, what if one’s ideas are new enough that the search for partners is more like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack? Not all new ideas are good ideas. And yet one cannot simply give up on a trajectory that includes one’s heart truth!
I have more personal reflection to do.
It seems so straightforward and simple when reading Benefiel’s articulate descriptions. And maybe it is. Maybe I simply need to reconnect with the power of my heart’s truth, muster the courage to tell my story again and again and again, and risk working with those who share some if not all of my vision and passion.
What is your learning edge when thinking about finding partners? What was your main take-away from this chapter?
