The Fifth Competency - Inclusion

After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box. ~ Italian Proverb

The final competency necessary for sustaining success in life is the competency of inclusion. This competency is all about my ability to develop, tap into and utilize the power of social networks. Research consistently demonstrates that the value and the power of social networks are irrefutable in terms of enabling change.

When I'm looking at starting over – sustaining success in life – it’s crucial to realize that I'm not going to do it by myself. I have to develop the competency to include others in meaningful ways that support what I'm attempting to achieve. Included in this competency is the ability to develop and nurture effective networks that impact and influence the various core domains of my life - professional, physical, spiritual, intellectual and emotional. These networks will often be comprised of different people.

Therefore, a key question to consider when developing the competency of inclusion focuses on the effectiveness of my ability to deliberately create and sustain high quality relationships over time with a wide variety of different people. Each of us and each of our lives come to be defined by our relationships, the quality of our social networks and our ability to utilize them well.

Sustaining success in life is a team sport.

Comments

[Robyn McCulloch]

YES, inclusion is exactly what is needed. Historically people (leaders, managers, directors, executives) have been rewarded for excluding others. It's beyond my kin to believe a leader could rise to the top without a vast social network. How can we open to others, extend ourselves, and reach out over and over and over again? I saw this painted in a mural on a building in a small town in Oregon --> TEAM = Together, Everyone Achieves Miracles ;)
Thank you for this profound series of postings Blaine!
Eager for yet more
Robyn McCulloch

[Jennifer]

Hi Blaine,
I loved this post… It provoked reflection about inclusion and exclusion. I began to wonder; where am I consciously practicing inclusion and extension, and where do I practice exclusion? How do I embody inclusion and exclusion? I started to think about bigger entities, families, communities, organizations, countries etc. How do these systems build inclusion and exclusion ~ what is the level of awareness in the building of these structures, processes, procedures, and the vernacular that lives in the systems? Are we being conscious about these pieces -and then who is around to wake us up when we are blind to what we’ve created?
Thanks for ride!
Jennifer