This sounds lover-ly. I agree with your point that it cannot be transactional and there is something else -- a generosity of spirit. To honestly listen and give ideas out, much less agree to read someone's proposal or look at their mindmap or actually help them solve a complex problem, it takes time and energy for not any particular direct reward. I find this bit of the secret sauce is perhaps the most elusive?
But yeah, I love me a good circle going, standing back and watching.
You've totally zeroed in on one of the most difficult pieces of making this happen. I think there are two (not at all foolproof) ways to make it more accessible:
1) Play the hand you're dealt...meaning, we all probably have some of these people in our lives already who are more than happy to do it because they're kind, because it's interesting. The people who aren't really thinking about the payoff for them. Sometimes the unifying thread in the circle is just "we are choosing to be available to each other."
2) Swallow your pride and reach out to those peer acquaintances who you really want to engage with. (Writing this to myself as much as anyone) There are often slightly more accomplished peers who have shown some level of encouragement, and - if you're me - you don't want to ask for anything from them until you know that you have something to share with them that you'll think is good and worth their time. A lot of those people will be super responsive to a specific request, something that's not immediately super high stakes.
Like I said, not foolproof...but usually worth trying.
Love this, do you have a routine or cadence for gathering the circle of peers together? Monthly? Bi-weekly? Do you do virtual co-working sessions with them, or active? This reminds me of the serendipity and exchange that happened among intellectuals, artists, writers, creatives and more in cafes and coffee houses throughout history, but with the world increasingly distributed and remote, curious how to pull this off virtually?
I don’t have a single move or specific set of moves here, but I’d say don’t overthink it - just either invite people into the stuff you’d be doing anyway and or do that stuff more in the open. For more local activation, you’re going to eat lunch - so invite people to come eat lunch with you. For more distributed stuff, initial activation is tougher though maintenance is easier in many ways. I personally don’t like online joint coworking sessions, but if you invite 2 or 3 people into just a random catch up call with some sort of topical focus that’s a lot of fun. Before long you’ve got a Slack or a Discord or something. Be like Paula Abdul and do what comes naturally.
This sounds lover-ly. I agree with your point that it cannot be transactional and there is something else -- a generosity of spirit. To honestly listen and give ideas out, much less agree to read someone's proposal or look at their mindmap or actually help them solve a complex problem, it takes time and energy for not any particular direct reward. I find this bit of the secret sauce is perhaps the most elusive?
But yeah, I love me a good circle going, standing back and watching.
You've totally zeroed in on one of the most difficult pieces of making this happen. I think there are two (not at all foolproof) ways to make it more accessible:
1) Play the hand you're dealt...meaning, we all probably have some of these people in our lives already who are more than happy to do it because they're kind, because it's interesting. The people who aren't really thinking about the payoff for them. Sometimes the unifying thread in the circle is just "we are choosing to be available to each other."
2) Swallow your pride and reach out to those peer acquaintances who you really want to engage with. (Writing this to myself as much as anyone) There are often slightly more accomplished peers who have shown some level of encouragement, and - if you're me - you don't want to ask for anything from them until you know that you have something to share with them that you'll think is good and worth their time. A lot of those people will be super responsive to a specific request, something that's not immediately super high stakes.
Like I said, not foolproof...but usually worth trying.
Love this, do you have a routine or cadence for gathering the circle of peers together? Monthly? Bi-weekly? Do you do virtual co-working sessions with them, or active? This reminds me of the serendipity and exchange that happened among intellectuals, artists, writers, creatives and more in cafes and coffee houses throughout history, but with the world increasingly distributed and remote, curious how to pull this off virtually?
I don’t have a single move or specific set of moves here, but I’d say don’t overthink it - just either invite people into the stuff you’d be doing anyway and or do that stuff more in the open. For more local activation, you’re going to eat lunch - so invite people to come eat lunch with you. For more distributed stuff, initial activation is tougher though maintenance is easier in many ways. I personally don’t like online joint coworking sessions, but if you invite 2 or 3 people into just a random catch up call with some sort of topical focus that’s a lot of fun. Before long you’ve got a Slack or a Discord or something. Be like Paula Abdul and do what comes naturally.