Life is not a solo act.
Behind every great brand is a great group of minds.
Think about it, non-profit organizations, startups and huge corporations.
There is never just one person running the show.
Why? Because to quote the fabulous Tim Gunn:
When you get stuck or aren’t sure of the next step, knowing there is a group of trusted minds to turn to can feel like a huge weight lifted off your shoulders.
Call it a personal advisory board.
I like to call it my Honest Council.
The Honest Council
So what is a council? It’s a group of women (or men) you admire, respect and look up to.
These are people to constantly learn from and lean on for different types of advice. It’s not an uber formal group, but for some, it may be.
Now the group I’ve assembled doesn’t meet in person. In fact, they don’t even know each other.
If I wanted I could create a Facebook or Google group and introduce them, eventually I will and you may want to as well.
My Honest Council is not local, there are only a few people close enough to meet in person and most are digital connections.
All of these people though I consider to be sage and wise. Each brings a different perspective to life, business, or relationships. I love them all and look to them for direction when I’m needing some advice.
Creating Your Own Honest Council
First, think of all the people you admire. Even if you don’t actually know them know them, thats ok. Some of my favorite role models are people I know digitally.
If you were to create a list right now of potential members for your Honest Council, consider these four to six types of people:
- The Mogul: A person who excels at whatever they set their mind to. They’re business-savvy, entrepreneurial and wicked smart. Known for being kind-of-a-big-deal and seriously successful.
- The Idea Person: A person who can sit in a room with a blank slate and pour out ideas, plans or directions. If you aren’t creative in nature you may need more than one of these types of people.
- The Doer: This person is a helper and gets. shit. done. If you are ever in a jam and feeling overwhelmed they can be another worker bee.
- The Motivator: This person will always tell you to get your head out of your ass when you need it. They give you inspiration, confidence and mojo.
- The Wise One: A mentor of sorts. They may not necessarily be older, but this person has experienced life. They have lived through things you may not have just yet and always seem to know what is best… without actually telling you what to do.
- The Local: This is the person you can meet at a coffee shop on a random Wednesday for a brain dump or spilling-of-the-heart when you need it most.
I’m sure without much trouble you could assemble your own Honest Council in a flash.
Because remember, people really do love to help and life is just more fun when you involve other people.
The next time you find yourself in a bind consider creating a small (or large) version of your own Honest Council.
An advisory group could be just the thing to keep you motivated, moving forward and honest.
