Old Rule: Eat or get eaten. Suck it up, Buttercup, it’s the circle of life.
New Rule: Collaborators finish first.

One of the many ways women rock in business is that they naturally look for ways to connect.

I read something recently (the source eludes me), about a possible evolutionary basis for women having this ability to connect. As the article described it, back in the day of the hunter and gatherer, men could get up and go when danger or difficulties arose. Women, however, had babies and children to consider, so they had to stick around, work together, and work it out.

Whether or not that’s true, isn’t so much the point. What is, is the acknowledgement that women are tuned in and perhaps innately suited to communication, negotiation and working together.

The traditional model of business says that in order to succeed, someone else has to fail. We’re supposed to climb the ladder, get to the top, become the top dog, in order to succeed.

In fact, women are busting that theory out of the water and have been for years. Instead, they look for ways to work with not against, and create strong relationships that build both their business and their community.

What Not To Do
I met a woman who chatted with me about her unique business until I mentioned that I’d once spoken on the phone to her “competitor.” Now every time we cross paths she gets all suspicious and makes comments about me checking her out for the competition. It’s really weird. And very old school. Not to mention paranoid and completely inaccurate. She’s actually not moving her business ahead, because she’s too busy looking over her shoulder.

A Better Choice
On the other side of the coin, one of my colleagues is a business coach who has banded together with a couple of other coaches. Together they can now offer a wider range of services, go after larger contracts, and market their services more widely with fewer resources because they are all out there in front of prospects. It’s working well for them and all of their businesses are growing.

Don’t fight your natural inclination to connect, or get caught up in the mistaken belief that you’re better off on your own. Success can be a win/win, no ladder climbing required.

- Liz Gaige
Market Navigators Consulting