Finding your Red Ribbon
Creating a sense of community among people is one of the most important things one could do. The holidays are a great catalyst for this to occur as many people reach out to each other or to people they rarely (or never) speak with. The holidays are a “red ribbon” – an excuse for people to come together, to create connections, to help each other out. Getting your car stuck in the snow is another red ribbon. So are the Olympics, Facebook, funerals, and ugly sweater parties!
Yes, red ribbons need to be something “worth” building a community around (a Purple Cow if you will), but it’s about connecting people rather than just standing out. And unlike a Purple Cow, red ribbons do not stand out for themselves (at first), they need someone to bring them forward. So the key really becomes finding exactly WHO will bring/create your community’s red ribbon. In some cases, like getting your car stuck in the snow, it’s a little embarrassing to pull out the red ribbon. Or, in the case of a funeral, the red ribbon may be an event that doesn’t necessarily benefit you at all. But that’s ok – as long as some feeling of connection was created between those participating.
The most important part of a red ribbon bearer is that they hold an incredible quality that many great leaders have: they place blame of failures on themselves and praise of successes upon others. If the community doesn’t grow, or the event wasn’t well-attended – it is the leaders fault, not the technology’s, the team’s, or the customers’. The leader was the one who brought the wrong ribbon.
On the other hand, if things did go well, the leader acknowledges that the community did it. “I just brought them together” is a classic line you will hear.
Find the red ribbon for your community (be it your workplace, family, or larger network) and be the person to stand up and hold it above your head. You’ll be happily surprised about what happens in your community when you do!
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