Taking from Renga

A couple weeks ago Ben and I were having lunch and he asked me "What do you want to take from Renga this year?" By default started to answer about  the goals I had for Renga.  He very quickly called me out and asked how I wanted to see my role grow and change, how Renga could facilitate my personal growth. This really caught me off guard because, like many entrepreneurs I had a hard time separating myself from Renga. As much as I am helping drive & shape Renga forward, it is also helping drive and shape me.

As I sat and pondered the question it was amazing how surprised I was by my own answer. I said that I wanted to remove myself from the projects. That this space would allow me the time to nurture relationships, spend more time teaching & coaching. I want to provide guidance and value to the organizations that we work with outside of the mess of the projects we are working on.

My whole life I have been able to see interesting futures for businesses and how they might get there. This is why I am so passionate about what we do at Renga. Over the last year I have learned that although I am excited about this future vision it can be extremely overwhelming to give it all to a client. A friend of mine talked about it like this; you are standing at the top of the hill. You can see the other side and you are excited about what you see. The organization you are speaking with cannot think about what is on the other side, the hill is all that they can see. They just need to learn how to get up the hill first.

What I need to practice and become an expert at, is helping people get to the top of the hill. Not to promise them what is on the other side, because by the time they get up there it might look different on the other side.

This is what I also need to do for our organization. Have the space to foster and build what might be on the other side of the hill while encouraging and helping us get to the top of the hill to actualize it. As much as I enjoy the execution of a project, the only way for Renga to grow into its healthiest version is for me to be focusing on the business rather than the work.

This seems counterintuitive as the work is what will define a good chunk of our business, however, as we are in the process of onboarding employee number six I am transitioning. This new role will require me to shape where we are heading and preserving our identity throughout growth.  I will provide insight into the process and the methods and then trust our amazing team to execute. This new season is going to come with a lot of challenges, but I am starting to feel much more clear about what I am hoping to take out of Renga this next year.