Seminal

“Let it come to you,” is what he says to me.  We are talking about my next promotion, specifically my request for 2-3 skills I should be developing to position myself for the next level. He explains to me that at this point in my career it is all about leadership; the ability to create a wake.  This is a phrase that resonates immediately with the sea girl in me, a knowing smile spreading across my face as I envision this powerful graphic. The idea of cutting through clear blue water creating an endless trail of waves that reverberate into infinity speaks to my very essence. How many times have I found myself on the water, mesmerized by the unswerving sureness and magic of the wake?   Never before have I felt more in control of my destiny.

A sphere of influence is difficult to measure.  Many of us think it’s about specific individuals, and spend time targeting the “right” people to impress with our work, hoping we’ll get the job that gives us the maximum exposure to the upper echelon.  While it is obviously advantageous to be in the view of those in high places, we sometimes forget that everyone we come into contact with plays a role.  The experience others take away from the time they spend with us creates our reputation. We each have the opportunity to positively influence every person we encounter, every day, and this is how the wake builds. 

Your wake is all around you.  For me it’s in the member of my account advisory board who called yesterday to report that in me the team has found a leader who hasn’t just opened her door but created a threshold that’s comfortable to cross.  It’s in the woman from last spring’s networking event who so strongly identified with the story I told of my shy beginnings, she reached out to me this week seeking some advice on how to overcome her own reserve. It’s in my teenager who, when I marveled over being asked to host a call that 600+ people attend, replied “that’s not enough, Mom.”

There was a time when I would have thought that letting something come to me was the equivalent of being passive.  It takes on a whole new meaning when combined with the concept of creating a wake.  The work doesn’t get any easier, but this is in my wheelhouse.  And there’s a part of me that finally sees when someone who’s drawn me into his own wake advises me to let it come to me, I should believe in the possibility that it could.