I believe that…
The blueprint for becoming
The biggest, boldest, grandest, deepest version and vision of you
Is laminated across the pump
That thumps in your chest
Mykel Dixon
Everyone deserves that personal champion, that cheerleader, pom poms and all – that someone who never gives up on you, who pulls you toward your future dreams, making noise about potential possibilities and inspiring you to become more. Your champion is the font of positivity, the person that cheers you on through the tough times and celebrates with vigour in the good. They rave about you, they promote you; make connections and open doors for you. They ditch the negative and fuel up on the positive. They push you towards your future you. They stretch you to become more than you are right now.
And all because they see you.
Believe in you.
And want you to succeed.
As children, cheerleaders are everywhere. They are in the playground sorting out the squabbles; they are at the end of the finish line even if we are coming in last, stumbling – over – every – last – breath – and – step.
They are in the cramped school halls watching on with encouraging smiles whilst we try to create music from whatever instrument has taken our fancy or when we are delivering lack-lustre Oscar winning performances of a ‘Tree’. The childhood stands are packed with cheerleaders, picking us up when we fall, telling us:
“You can be whatever you want to be.”
And then we grow up.
Where is your cheerleader now? Do you have that champion, riding along shotgun, pushing you further and promoting you more – just because?
If not – it’s time to find one.
And are you the cheerleader for others? Who is the star of your network, the person you are supporting 150% and more to follow their dreams because you believe in them?
If not – it’s time to become one.
Rita Pierson spent over 40 years in and around the classroom. In her TED talk ‘Every Kid Needs A Champion’ Rita describes how she had classes that were so academically deficient that she would cry. One year she told her students “ You were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students, they put us together so we could show everybody else how to do it”. Rita tells the story of giving the children a test of 20 questions. One child got 18 wrong so she gave him a +2 and a smiley face. When the child asked if he had failed Rita responded with a ‘Yes’, but that he “was on a roll, he got two right.” – keep going.
That’s championing another. That’s believing there is more and seeing possibility.
In the business world we are seeing the rise of cheerleading in the form of sponsorship – the intentional support of another, taking action, collaborating and sharing what you know and who you know to better someone else. Sponsors advocate for you in the workplace when you need to be more visible. According to research from the Centre For Talent Innovation, people with sponsors are 23% more likely to move up in their career than those without sponsors.
That’s championing another. That’s believing there is more and seeing possibility.
My cheerleaders are absolutely there right beside me and I will be forever grateful. They have played a crucial part in everything I have achieved so far and continue to cheer me on, from the sidelines, encouraging me to do more, be more, live more.
Having a champion in your network can completely change the momentum of you and the momentum of your business.
Everyone needs a champion. Who is yours?
