What to Know About Building a Strategic Community of Women
Comedian, writer, director, actor, and producer Amy Poehler once said, "Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life." We know this. We see it every day in our work. The right community will change your life.
Unfortunately, we also know that so many successful women in leadership go through life without a trusted community. No one who really understands the landscape with all its ups and downs, twists and turns. No one to rely on when things get tough, to sort through the complicated intellectual, mental, emotional and political challenges that come up every day. No one to cheer them on when they’re hitting on all cylinders - which is often! Someone who believes in them even when they’ve lost faith in themselves.
If this sounds like you, stick with us – we’re going to dig into this topic. Today’s conversation is all about the why, what, and how of building strategic communities with other women.
What is a Strategic Leadership Community?
A strategic leadership community is a well-crafted, intentionally designed support network. It’s typically comprised of individuals who are all equally committed to helping each other thrive in their own individual journey. The women who help make up your leadership community will each take turns being each other’s mentor, mentee, trusted guide or sounding board. The goal is to encourage and celebrate one other, always looking for ways to help each other grow professionally and personally.
Here’s what our decades of working with women in the corporate space has taught us, and research validates: mixed messages about “appropriate” achievement for women can lead to dissatisfaction and a lack of engagement. Women may find it difficult to reach their full potential. Women are often given contradictory messages of what success looks like at work.
Working with successful women, we also know that - although they might be the first to acknowledge talent in others - they’re often uncomfortable recognizing their own success, accomplishments and wins. We’re great about cheering others on, and challenged when it comes to ourselves.
In our experience, some of these women my be pioneers in their personal and professional lives and often feel lonely or different. And despite a towering intellectual strength, they might find it challenging to build supportive relationships in the workspace.
We get it. We’ve been there. It’s the very reason we founded Nova Leadership. How can you go about building your community? Read on.
Tips for Building a Strategic Leadership Community
Often the most simple place to start is right in your own “backyard.” We mean this literally and figuratively. Try chatting up a neighbor you don’t often talk with, or reach out to an old high school friend who you just connected with on social media. I recently reconnected with a friend I hadn’t talked to in literally decades - and we picked right back up where we left off in the 90’s! It was as if the years melted away, and we were laughing together again. It’s so important to connect with people who know us in different ways, who’ve seen us at different stages of our lives.
If you want to build your community, challenge yourself to try one of the following ideas in the next 30 days:
Don’t be afraid to branch out. Is there someone in your current circles whose success intimidates you? Invite them out for coffee and see if you two have more in common than you realized - because you probably do
Identify women who you see potential in and consider mentoring: one of the biggest challenges for women coming up in the workforce is that they look up and don’t see anyone “like them”. Pay it forward - spend some time with these up and comers
Attend professional networking events and executive development retreats to identify like-minded, motivated women
As we re-enter the world of in person gatherings, consider hosting a lighthearted social event and placing thoughtful conversation starters around the room to help generate insight and inquiry
Volunteer your time and/or talent at a local nonprofit that serves a population or need you feel passionate about; take time to get to know its leaders and the other volunteers. Note: with challenges on the global stage right now, you can choose to contribute time, money and energy locally and globally. Every bit matters.
How an Immersion Retreat Can Build your Community
When we were single-focused on our careers, we were once exactly where you may be now. We didn’t have the strong community of women that we’re so grateful to have now. Worse - we didn’t even fully realize how important this community could be. We were successful, respected; we loved our team and our companies - and often felt thoroughly depleted. We know now that we weren’t even aware just how depleted we were until we were able to get some perspective.
That was the driver for our Immersion Retreats. We realized that women’s leadership retreats had the potential to create a safe and powerful space for women to reflect, to explore, and to dig deep to ensure that the life they’re living is a life they’re loving. It’s the resource we wish we’d had as we were redefining our careers and our legacy.
Each Destination Immersion is unique. Because of the location. Because of the women who attend. But the one thing that each retreat has in common is life-changing results. These results have the power to become a springboard for a whole new life trajectory. Plus, the people you meet will offer courage and insight: you will be changed together! As one Immersion participant told us:
“It was a privilege to meet a group of wise and strong leaders I can lean on - through them I can see the potential in me.”
Join us for an Executive Development Retreat in Tuscany this Fall
Having spent decades on the senior executive teams of Fortune 100 companies, we know firsthand what it’s like to feel incredibly accomplished, and at the same time completely overwhelmed. If you’re craving some space to sort things through and would value the perspective of wise women, we invite you to be a part of our community by joining us on an Immersion Retreat in Florence, Italy this October. Get the details about the upcoming retreat & register today.