Aspens

At our cabin, Carlyn and I love sitting on the deck and watching the quaking aspens, their leaves shimmering and dancing in the wind. If it wasn't for the whining dog and screaming child, we could do it for hours.

The thing about aspens is that they don’t really stand alone. A grove of aspens is one living organism, all connected underground by a shared root system.

Without that root system, any single tree wouldn’t even see the light of day.

Careers are like that, too. Behind every successful career is a hidden root system—people without whom we’d never be where we are.

Mentors, friends, colleagues, neighbors. The ones who send you an opportunity, make an introduction, or quietly speak up on your behalf.

If you want your career to thrive, you need to nurture your own root system.

Not by “networking,” but the way you grow any real relationship: check in, share a meal, grab a coffee, have an experience together.

And the best way to strengthen your own roots?

Be someone else’s. Give them an opportunity. Make an introduction. Help them grow.

Just like them aspens, none of us stand alone.