The Fellowship of the Ring

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Last week we brought you the inspiring story of Kelly Sandstrom and her Workshops for Women. (Click here to read it again .) Kelly's story discussed her gratitude for allies who stepped into a journey without knowing what they were getting into.They believed in Kelly and the vision of her Quest.

Allies are a powerful force in mythology. In the Lord of the Rings series, the hero Frodo is assisted by the Fellowship of the Ring – eight allies with varying strengths who pledge to protect him at all costs. Allies who could not complete the hero’s quest for him, but whose participation in the journey made all the difference in whether he succeeded. Some allies assist throughout the entire journey, some just help at key junctures. But all are people who make a difference in the hero achieving his or her quest successfully.

Businesses have allies as well. However, we sometimes call them “vendors” or “suppliers.” Do we view them – and more importantly treat them – as integral to the success of our company, or as something to be dismissed for the promise of a better price elsewhere? Do we treat them well enough that they would embark on a journey without knowing what lies ahead?

At the start of a journey, the importance of - and emotional connection to - our allies is probably at its strongest. But as the journey lengthens, and complacency sets in, I would venture that most of us begin to take our allies for granted. If this has happened in your company, we encourage you to reflect on whether the companies and people who assist you fall into the “ally” or “vendor” category (or worse yet, a Force of Evil). Then take a look at how you might change the relationship such that you’re surrounded by allies, and treat them accordingly.

We’d love to hear from you about your allies. And if you’ve ever needed help from a "vendor" or "supplier" to be successful, perhaps take a moment to think of them as an "ally" instead and say thank you. As an ally, they might be inspired enough to continue helping you on your hero’s quest!

Lisa and the Creative Abandon team

PS. Now that we have enough Hero's Voice issues written to have "past issues," you can access our archive by clicking here.