Are You a Leader of Social Capital?
66Success means many things to many people. For our purpose we will define a successful person as one who works with others to effectively create, and carry out clear pre-planed results.
Now that we have established a working definition of a “successful person,” I’d like you to take a moment to think of the most successful people you know in life. When you think about these individuals what are some of the personal character traits that come to mind.
Would you say they are friendly, positive, outgoing, passionate, and creative? On a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest, how well would your rate their self-esteem. Would you rate them closer to 1 or closer to 10? Lastly, would you say these people have a following or are they followers?
Chances are when you think about the most successful people in your life you’re most likely thinking of an individual who has learned to create social capital by building a social network. This individual is always the first to say hello when meeting a stranger. She is confident in her abilities and willing to take a reasonable amount of risk to create the results she desires. What is most important is the fact that she knows how to build a powerful network of people to support her in reaching her goals.
I would suggest that this individual is a leader of social capital. Leaders of social capital understand that being a lone ranger and trying to do everything by themselves is the kiss of death. They are excellent at getting involved in life and maintaining a community that ensures their voice is heard. Leaders of social capital have strong networks because they practice the art of creating relationships, enrolling others into their dreams, delegating task, building trust, and keeping their word to maintain the trust, they have built.
Leaders of social capital are the people who consistently “make it happen” because they have allied themselves with people who help them succeed.
Would you consider yourself a leader of social capital? If not, what attitudes, actions or ways of being must you give up in order to have the influence and gain the support you need to make your life a success? What civic or philanthropic organizations could you join in order to make friends that are committed to making a difference in the world and ensuring that the people in their lives do the same?
After all, success is not about luck. It is a choosing your results by wisely choosing your actions. It is about increasing your sphere of influence, surrounding yourself with people who care about and support you in making sure your dreams become a reality. To be a leader of social capital you must take risk and be willing to put yourself in a position to fail in order to gain the trust and respect of your peers.
Lastly, to be a leader of social capital you must openly support others without an agenda and be willing to receive the same form of support in return.
