I miss little about working as an employee for a large corporation. When I walked out, I felt free (and a bit scared.)
I had a great job and worked with some fantastic people. When I left, I walked away from things I didn’t know I was leaving behind.
The two things I wanted to take from my corporate job when I left wouldn’t fit into the cardboard box they gave me for my personal effects.
I guess I had to steal them.
Had you going there for a minute!
Honestly, I stole nothing.
When I walked out, what I didn’t know was how much I would miss the connection and relationships I had with a small group of people.
It wasn’t until years later when I moved and became both remote and an indie professional, that I uncovered what I needed to steal from them.
Thief of Tribes
The first thing I miss is the war-room like meetings we would have where we’d all gather, bring our biggest problems, and have brainstorming sessions on how to crush whatever obstacle was in the way of getting our projects done.
We had some exciting minds in our tribe, each with unique talents and experiences. The ideas were electric. We’d get so involved in the conversation and engrossed in solving problems that we’d lose track of time.
What was interesting was the fact we weren’t working on the same projects. Each of us had a different project to work on or manage. Even with various projects, we somehow all benefited from the problem-solving sessions.
You’d not dare miss a meeting, even if you didn’t have an obstacle. You’d show up because you knew that whatever problem it was, the resulting brainstorming would produce a gem that you could take away and use.
Thief of Hoopla
Hoopla. It’s the second thing I miss about my corporate world.
After getting together to hash out problems, our tribe wanted to make sure all members of the group succeeded. We each became familiar with the risks and benefits of others’ projects and couldn’t help feel a little more involved than if we were just sitting on the sidelines.
So when someone would complete a project, we would all get together to mark the occasion. I know that if we didn’t do this as a group, we wouldn’t do it. If left to the individual, we would each unceremoniously close the file on one project and open the next, without recognizing our accomplishments or marking the moment.
Part of the celebration included the group member candidly sharing lessons not only about the project but about themselves. Every single time we would learn something new about ourselves as professionals. Much of the time, it helped us recognize we were stronger than we initially thought.
I know, we were stronger because we had each other.
Tribe Hoopla for Indies
Fast forward more than a decade, and I continue to explore ways to bring people together to help each other achieve.
One of my favorite ways to create this powerful group experience for myself and other indie workers is through the 4-weeks & DONE workshop.
It’s a way to get that tribe brainstorming and problem-solving energy and combine it with the fun and growth potential of the hoopla closing celebration. It’s helped me bring the best of my corporate experience into the freedom of the freelance profession.
If you are a freelancer, indie creative, or one-person business and want to share the tribe-hoopla experience, check out the workshop. We’d love to have you.
