Page 116 - Free Yourself From

Chapter 6

Forming Your Own Board

of Directors

You can do so little alone and so much

together. —Helen Keller

Strategic Relationships Matter

There is no question in my mind that women naturally have a lot of
friends and relationships in their life, but when I ask women if they
have the right people for advising and helping them to progress in
their career or to help them achieve the goals they need to within their
organization, most of them say no. When I ask whether they have
strategic relationships they sometimes get frustrated or even turned
off. Why? Oftentimes they feel that having strategic relationships
seems manipulative and self-serving, or they truly think they can do
it on their own, and that it’s easier that way.
But when I speak to audiences on this topic, I ask them to think
of a major accomplishment in their life, one they feel exceptionally
good about. Then I ask them if they were really able to accomplish
it on their own. Nine times out of ten, people say no, they had one
or several people who were instrumental in helping them get there.

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