NO MORE SILO: STOP GOING IT ALONE

Collectively produced by every networker who ever used the word “SILO” & assembled by Lennard Goetze, Ed.D

As an independent contractor, a company owner or an owner of a practice, leadership usually starts with pursuing your own ideas into fruition.  Upon starting out, it is exciting to create and to earn the fruits of your labor as your own without having to be accountable to anyone else. Nobody gets in your way as you work (as hard as you like) to build out your vision exactly the way YOU want it. YOU’RE IN COMPLETE CONTROL! There are unimaginable rewards to owning your own “house” and materializing concepts.  To remove the obstacles of employers, supervisors, partners or systems that you have to deal with and drag down your progress & creative style is true empowerment.  Years or decades later, you marvel at your greatest achievements and the wealth of knowledge that can only happen with owning your own.

CROSSROADS: THE CHAPTER CHANGER
It appears that everything comporting to the cycle of life follows the same path of a BELL CURVE.  In nature (that which we are all students of) Gravity is our best teacher.  What comes up WILL eventually come down – and there gets a point where you realize that ‘going it alone’ has its limits.  The dark cloud of STAGNATION and COMPLACENCE rolls in as that paralyzing cement that forms on your once resilient wings.  You may also find yourself in a RUT, where your solo drive has slowed you to a crawl, and then a dragging resistance; where your energy and vision has become sedentary and your output just doesn’t feel as rewarding as it once was.  If you feel any or all of these things, this is the next road to your creative lifeline called THE CROSSROADS.

Perhaps it’s time to open the windows, let the winds of new ideas in—and open yourself to COLLABORATION.  Every creative leader hits this point where connecting with other innovators, visionaries, shakers and doers could easily breathe new energy to your superpower. Moreover, you will find other exciting versions of your concept can on the road to your evolution.  Collaboration is a great form of research- by meeting and exchanging ideas that you could adapt into your work- or perhaps even joining a team of like-minded creators. 

STEP 1: EMBRACE NETWORKING 
• Engage with like-minded (SYNERGISTIC) connections
• Explore ways of COLLABORATING to build a bigger something
• Promote REFERRAL partnerships
• Find your VILLAGE (or professional community)
• SHARE and learn from fellow achievers

GET OUT OF THE SILO! There’s a world of amazing fellow doers out there waiting to build with you.   Mama once said, “True strength is knowing when you need help and asking for it. But true POWER comes from building the solution together!”

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THE PROFOUND POWER OF BUILDING TOGETHER
As a serial entrepreneur, I know the journey of the exhilarating freedom and empowerment that comes with being your own boss. I identify with the excitement of bringing my ideas to fruition and enjoying the fruits of my labor without external interference. I've also experienced the natural ebb and flow of this journey. Len's metaphor of a bell curve clearly illustrates how periods of stagnation can follow the initial highs.

The call to embrace collaboration and networking is a refreshing reminder that even the most independent leaders can benefit from the energy and ideas of others. The practical steps offered for networking and building a professional community are valuable and actionable. More is achieved when we engage, share, and grow together, creating community. Len champions the balance between independence and collaboration, because true strength lies in knowing when to seek help and work collectively. Solo achievements are commendable, but there is profound power and growth in building together.

AUTHOR: Mary Nielsen is the entrepreneurial founder of Clinical Cognitive Facilitator Training. Mary is the Executive Director and founder of Spectrum Advanced Aesthetics Institute (www.spectrumlasertraining.com), the OG of Fearless Beauties (www.fearlessbeauties.org) and an author of several textbooks. She believes in the empowerment found in education and in supporting complementary methods for enacting the highest level of healing, including psychedelic facilitator training.  Mary serves on the Advisory Board for Private Career Schools in Oregon.

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