Building Bridges the Old Fashioned Way
How are your bridges? You know those metaphoric human connections that form the basis of your identity? Yeah those. I guess by my merely asking about them, I’m working to build one with you, and honestly that’s true. I need them. I need you.
From the time you were born, you were surrounded by people and social expectations. Those earliest experiences became the culture that defined you and formed your very first definitions of who you are. Like your DNA, your early childhood culture is always there. It can be cultivated, ignored, or suppressed. You can move all over the world, change your clothing, change your language, change your religion, change your career, or even change your relationships.
Some of that earliest culture will always be there, but you are in control. The world will tell you not to burn bridges, but sometimes that exactly what needs to happen. Some bridges lead to very dark places and it is your duty to destroy them. After all, nobody manages the bridges in your world, but you. How can you be an effective manager if you are not regularly assessing the state of your bridges and working on repairs, taking down the dangerous ones, and building new ones? Own your bridges. Don’t let them own you.
Now let’s focus on the positive. How do we build new bridges? In the Scottish Highlands, they developed a way to rapidly build physical bridges by tossing long beams called cabars or cabers across a crevasse or river to quickly build a bridge. This requires tremendous strength and agility but is likely the fastest way to build a land bridge without modern equipment. Modern equipment is amazing, but it is also difficult, costly, and inherently limited in where it can be deployed. Which methods have you used to build your bridges?
“Online” is the modern answer to automating bridge building. Within the comfort and safety of your own home you can interact with work colleagues, virtual classmates, game players, chat room participants, online dating profiles, discussion forums, and even video chat even schedules align. Would you drive on these bridges? Perhaps cultivated relationships from these digital portals can form your evolving identity. Surely lasting friendships and lifetime romance have been born from less.
Since you are in the business of managing bridges and building new ones, I will remind you of the Scottish Highlanders and the tools that still exist, even today. Take time to consider where you would like your bridge to be built. Why would you build a bridge in an area you have no intention of crossing? It’s not like the world is made of wood. Put yourself in the environment you most want to be in or think you might want to be in. Then begin by showing up with your cabers. Step one of caber tossing is taking a few steps forward out of your comfort zone, making yourself vulnerable. The more you do this, the more comfortable it will become. Step two is to do the work you came to do. Show strength. Break that ice. Let those around know you are there to help and your are bringing your talents. Lastly, follow through. How far did you get. Learn from any mistakes. Improve. Repeat.
How are your bridges? Need some new ones? Where you going this week? Maybe I’ll see you there!