From our newsletter Outside the Lines – The Business Edition

Great Work Truth #5 – Great Work is not a solo act

Here’s the bottom line question:  You can’t do Great Work alone.  So who are you inviting in to share the adventure?

Saying hello

I probably go on about this in this newsletter more than than any other of the Great Work truths, because it’s what I’m most trying to learn myself.

It’s both an inviting in.

And an inviting out.

Start with inviting some new folks in. It’s never been so easy or so difficult with the explosion of the social networking phenomenon.

There’s no excuse not to be finding and collaborating with the best in the world.  Not just your office, or company, or country.  The best in the world.

And the best are easier than ever to find.  Google, LInkedIn, Twitter – all roads to finding out who’s extraordinary.  Email and phone:  a simple way to make an invitation.

Seth Godin champions this with his new book Tribes.

My tribes

Last week I was in London, and I had the pleasure of spending time with two groups of people I’ve invited in.

The first was lunch with five of the Coaching for Great work faculty:  Steve Pauley, Jonathan Hill, Judith Underhill, Pennie Evans and Daniel Stane.

The second was the world’s first Find Your Great Work workshop.

Spending time in partnership with these two groups was fantastic.

Saying good-bye

But it’s not enough to just invite people in.  You also need to look at which relationships are costing you time, money, energy and effort.

And the challenge is:  How will you reduce contact with them, say goodbye, cut them free?

Time is short, time to do your Great Work is short, and finding the right people to be with and then creating the time to do just that … that’s what’s important right now.