Fitting the Pieces

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Today I stood at the back of our local elementary school watching two completely different scenes. I was there to pick up my grandson and walk him home, but he saw a group of boys he knew on and around the play structure, and he wanted to stay and play with them. So I stood and waited while he played. A few other parents were chatting with each other, watching as their kids stayed to play.

There were about ten children all of nursery school, kindergarten, and first grade age, racing around the giant play structure. Two had light sabers (did the parents bring them?).

Three kids were running from an “enemy” and jumped down the slide to escape, bumping into each other and dropping off the end onto the ground. They were grinning broadly and shouting loudly.

Elsewhere: “Kevin! Kevin! Watch out behind you!” Kevin smartly climbed a nearby ladder, ran down a ramp, jumped off the back of the structure, and rolled into an opening of a large pipe. He peered out, but no one pursued him.

Meanwhile: “Bob, can I use your light saber?” inquired Frankie, a tall first grader. Bob, a short kindergartener, surrendered it with a frown. “Just for a minute, OK??” Frankie took off after two other younger boys who ran up another slide, backwards, screaming. Now up on the structure platform, two others ran by them, ignoring their presumed plight, and leaped off the structure onto a “fireman’s pole” and slid to the ground screaming something like: “Are you on his side?” and “No way!!”

Every few minutes, it appeared that alliances changed and any concept of “sides” would have to include the adult political term – “flip flopping.”

A closer watch would reveal that no actual sides ever existed. Rather each child raced around in his own fantasy, using the other kids as props in his imaginary play world.

“Is that how we network as children?” I mused.

Then I thought about so-called entrepreneurs, new at internet marketing, as they relate to one another on an entrepreneurial forum such as The Unified Tribe, Better Networker, or even Entrepreneur Connect. I confess to being a member of each of these.

“Am I like those children?” I wondered, as my eyes turned down to study the grass at my feet. “Why am I here?”

Actually, I joined The Unified Tribe because of my commitment to collaboration amongst home business owners as a way to grow one’s own enterprise.

I heard older shouts, in an athletic field behind me. As I turned and looked up, the high school girls lacrosse team was at practice. I watched briefly as some members were scrimmaging and others practiced drills. Those scrimmaging had clearly assigned positions and designated team members. They were disciplined to score. They worked together. They did not randomly abandon their team to join a new team. Instead, they supported their teammates with action. They implemented plans learned in drills.

Those in drills practiced with others giving feedback. They worked at modifying their actions in accordance with the feedback, seeking incremental progress in their skills.

None ran aimlessly. None screamed just for the fun of the noise. They collaborated with purpose.

“That is the picture of a tribe,” I thought. I picture a tribe as a small group of perhaps 12 people, like a lacrosse team– give or take). There can be many “tribes” forming and at work within The Unified Tribe site.

Some members of the site are more social than others, a bit of fun, laughter, screaming in joy. But some, social or not, are simply running around, not really connecting, having little clear idea of why they are at the site. They are “thrilled” to be a part of this “new movement.”

But are they here to advance their businesses? If so, some may want to establish clear goals. This isn’t just fun and fantasy. It’s a serious game.

This isn’t the farm at Facebook. It’s business networking online.

The first grade boys on the structure were not a tribe – they were a group of individuals all playing separately amongst good pals.

The high school girls were a unified tribe.

This is meant to encourage thoughtful action for those who belong to The Unified Tribe or any similar entrepreneurial forum.

PHOTO CREDITS:
Play structure: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikenan1/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Lacrosse: http://www.flickr.com/photos/psmithy/ / CC BY 2.0

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