Yeah, I’ve Been There…
How many times have you found yourself in situations where you thought, “I sure wish someone had told me about this before I got here”?
Challenging scenarios can be made far less challenging – and way less scary – when you have information and reassurance ahead of time from someone who has been there.
That’s one of the many great benefits of Milestone’s Leadership Circle for Suppliers. When you share a situation you are stepping into or trying to navigate and a fellow cohort member or a speaker offers wisdom from their own experience, it has the potential to save you effort, angst, and even money.
My husband and I experienced this last week while on vacation in Mexico.
As we drove toward the Mayan ruins in Tulum, a man stepped out in front of our car. He motioned for us to turn into a parking area with a sign posted with the cost to park. He and a few others had on matching, rather official-looking shirts. My husband swerved around him and kept driving, even as he kept motioning for us to turn. The same thing happened again a few hundred yards down the road. The person in the road at this parking area was even waving a traffic directing flag as he blocked our path and attempted to herd us into the lot he was attending. He was convincing enough, so I asked my husband if we might want to pull in this time. My husband ignored that attendant also, maneuvering around his insistent efforts. The next such attempt to get us to pay to park included cones that were blocking the road. As yet another attendant requested 200 pesos for us to park, my husband inquired about parking along the side of the road…as we saw others were doing. Yes, the attendant admitted, that was free. And that is where we parked.
I was grateful not only that we saved paying a parking fee, but we also parked considerably closer. And above all, we avoided the frustration we would have experienced upon realizing we had been taken advantage of.
The thing that saved us was one of the travel videos we watched before our trip.
It specifically warned about this exact situation.
The cohort discussions and relationships created during the Leadership Circle can be a lot like the videos we watched in preparation for our travels. “You’re about to enter a situation that is unfamiliar to you, but, yeah, I’ve been there. Here are some things it will be good for you to know!”
Written by: Sandy Tush, Partner – Milestone Leadership
Milestone Leadership can help you, your peers or team members develop solid, uniquely individual leadership skills while offering you exposure to people who’ve been there.
Seats are filling now for one of our most popular programs for professionals who work in the retail supplier community:
Leadership Circle for Suppliers
This unique cohort-based program is designed to support the development of high performing, high potential supplier talent, helping them excel in their current roles as well as attain career advancement over a six-month span of time. The opportunity fosters development of an external peer network, and participants receive 1:1 executive coaching sessions from seasoned veterans with 20+ years in the supplier community. Spring 2022 registration is open for our next journey of building leaders worth following . Participants will grow through individual assessments, five half-day general sessions covering important leadership topics, and our off-site cornerstone Milestone Leadership Intensive program. For more information, we encourage you to contact Milestone’s Executive in Residence Lori Brown at (479) 366-1495 or LoBrown@milestoneleadership.
