This year I was faced with an opportunity. An opportunity for one door to close and another door to open. Many people might not see the things I’ve been through as an opportunity, (and I’d be lying if I said I saw it that way early on, too) but focusing on the negative for too long would only have left me feeling stuck. Reframing to see the potential, to celebrate hope, has allowed me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Something I’ve learned over the last several months is how critically important shared leadership is. Companies and organizations, or even ideas, that operate based on one person’s talents or image are not likely to sustain. It used to be all about that one charismatic figure calling the shots, but things are shifting.
From “Me” to “We”: it’s about spreading the load, bringing different talents to the table, and working together as a team. When we create an environment where trust and collaboration thrive, magic happens.
Imagine a bunch of empowered individuals coming together. When we uplift each other, it sets off a chain reaction. Those empowered individuals go on to inspire others and before you know it, we've got this network of changemakers working hand in hand to make our community better.
That’s the idea behind The Hive. An organization run on shared leadership, fostering each of our unique talents, and bringing together empowered people to create sustainable change in our community.
When I thought about what I’d do differently with this opportunity, I knew I didn’t want the title of Executive Director. Not because I don’t want to be a leader, but because I want to lead from inside the ring. I don’t want a separate office; I don’t need a shiny title. I want my boots on the ground and I want decisions to be made from the collective.
I knew I didn’t want to have “clients”. I don’t want to feed the hierarchy that places me and my team above others, simply because they’re asking for help. I want to be able to ask for help too. I want to normalize asking for help and eliminate any shame that comes with it. Instead, we have members.
You see, The Hive is really just a community; a community of people coming together to support one another. The connection that we share because of our vulnerability, because of the way we elevate each other’s voices, because of the way we level the playing field, that’s why we do what we do.
That’s how we heal trauma and put an end to generational curses.
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