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Forming Your Own Board of Directors 111

capitalize on this ability is based on our own assumptions and beliefs
about relationships. All of the successful women executives I have inter-
viewed and met along the way view having strategic relationships from
the spirit of collaboration and mutual support. These are substantive
relationships that take time and energy to build, but it can be done in
an authentic way that results in meaningful and productive outcomes
for the greater good. And yes, they should also have a positive impact
on your career and well-being. If you haven’t already learned that hav-
ing the right relationships at the right time is an essential factor for self-
development and career advancement, this chapter should demonstrate
that to you.

The Law of Reciprocity

For some women it becomes easier to reach out to others and ask for
help or advice or information when they realize that it isn’t a one-way
street; that they really do have something to offer the other person,
or at the very least are in a position to “return the favor” down the
road. They understand that not only is there a “law of reciprocity,”
but that they can exercise it.
But I’ll go one step further to say that I have found that the more
I help others, the more help I receive in return. I don’t keep tally of
what I do or look for quid pro quo, but if I help someone and bring
him or her something of value, it’s almost certain that they’ll remem-
ber it and want to return that value to me.
For example, I mentored a young woman for close to two years.
We met for lunches and I invited her to certain functions or events that
I thought she would find valuable. She later let me know that she had
moved to a new company in a job that she was very excited about.
Two years later, I got a call from her and she invited me to lunch to
meet one of the executives of her organization. I had no real expec-
tations but, through her introduction, my firm wound up working