There is a particular kind of generosity that does not wait to be asked twice.
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a morning coffee hosted by WIRED KC, Women in Real Estate Development. It is exactly what it sounds like and so much more: a room full of women who are building, developing, investing, and creating in the commercial real estate world, cheering each other forward every step of the way.
During introductions, fellow member Tracey Thompson said something that has stayed with me ever since. She was describing her approach to advocacy within the group, and she put it like this: “Tell me what you need, what you want to do… I will put out feelers on your behalf to help you win.”
I had to sit with that for a moment.
The context was awards. Specifically, the importance of women allowing themselves to be recognized for their excellence and innovation, and saying yes when someone asks if they can nominate them. It sounds simple. And yet, for so many accomplished women, it is anything but. We deflect. We minimize. We say, “Oh, there are so many others who deserve it more.” Tracey’s message was clear: let people champion you. You have earned it.
What Tracey described is not a vague offer to “keep her ears open” or a polite promise to “pass your name along sometime.” She named a posture. An orientation toward the people in her community that says: I am on your team. Tell me where you want to go, and I will work to help get you there.
That is advocacy in its truest form.
So often, we think of networking as a transactional exercise, a series of exchanges where value is tallied and reciprocated. But what Tracey articulated, and what the women of WIRED KC seem to live out, is something richer. It is relational. It is generous. It is the kind of support that moves from “good luck out there” to “I am going out there with you.”
Here is the invitation this moment sparked for me: Who in your world is working toward something? Who deserves to be recognized and hasn’t yet raised their hand? What if you leaned in, asked what they need, and then actually made some calls on their behalf?
You do not have to be a connector by profession to be someone’s connector. You just have to be willing to say the words: Tell me what you want to do. I will help you win.
Happy Networking!